Brothers
by Not Even The Turtle
Summary: After certain events, Donatello is changed completely, and his siblings must learn to cope with this 'new' Donatello though still looking for the old, all the while facing the imminent death of their beloved Father. Can the brothers learn to continue on as brothers, or will a much stronger bond come out of the tragedies they must face? [2k3 series based]
1. Secrets

It was quiet in the lair in the middle of that day. Too quiet for one hyper active turtle in particular. Michelangelo paced around the entertainment room. Or what were the remains of what had once been entertaining. None of the televisions or electrical devices were working besides the emergency lights. Don had tried to explain to the orange masked turtle how the extreme heat this summer had affected the wiring around the lair that he had made self-sufficient with the same technobabble he always used. After Donatello had realized his brother still could not understand why his precious TV time had been robbed of him, he settled for "The wires got fried, Mikey."

After trying to learn a new trick on his skateboard to occupy himself, Mikey gave up. Not because he couldn't figure it out, but because the heat had cooked him through. He desperately wished for the air conditioning to be on, but Don only rigged emergency lights and heating for the winter. Don didn't want to risk getting noticed by any unwanted eyes by drawing to much energy directly from the city. They would have to live with being hot.

Mikey slumped his shoulders and trudged over to where one of his brothers was lying on the couch, a warm bottle of water in one hand. Bugging Raphael was one of Michelangelo's favorite pastimes. He leaned over the couch, looking at his forest green brother with a mischievous smile. Usually, the mere presence of Mikey was enough to annoy Raph, but the summer heat had gotten to his hot-headed brother. All Raph wanted to do was lay there like a sack of potatoes and stay cool. Mikey was, of course, not pleased with this unresponsive attitude of his.

"Raph." Mikey said, waiting for a reply, but getting none, "Raaaapppphhhhhiiiieeee. Raphaeeeeelllll! Raph. Hey, Raph." After no responses, Mikey resorted to poking the defenseless forehead of his brother as he continued to call his name. Raphael was determined to ignore him though, or rather, he just didn't have the energy in him to beat the crap out of the pesky turtle today. The most Mikey ever got out of him in the ten minutes of poking and calling Raph's name was a limp swat with one hand and an angry grumble. Michelangelo sighed and trotted off into the direction he knew Leonardo would be, hoping for better luck.

As he drew close to their Sensei's meditation room he heard low humming. Before he even looked into the candle lit area that both his blue clad brother and master would be sitting cross legged, deep in some mediation ritual Leo had learned from the Ancient One, too deep in focus to even acknowledge his presence. Mikey huffed at this and stomped his feet as he walked into the room, circled both of them while making faces, and paraded back out, clapping his hands above his head like he was a Spanish dancer. When they still had not lost focus, Mikey gave up on trying to entertain himself with this and he rolled his eyes. Mikey sighed again, more exasperated this time, as he walked away. He did not notice the two smiling slightly in satisfaction as he left.

Time to check the lab.

As Michelangelo peeked around the corner to check in on his purple wearing brother (being the oh-so considerate turtle he was), a flash and the hiss of a soldering tool suddenly came to life just inches before his eyes. The surprise burst if fire caused Mickey to jump and fall back with a yelp. Donatello's laughter came soon after the olive green turtle had seen his brother on the ground. He was holding a blowtorch in his right hand, and a welding mask was taken off and put aside as Don neared his fallen kin.

"Not funny, dude!" Mikey retorted to the laughter.

"Really?" Don asked, a wide grin on his black smudged face, a sure sign he had been working hard, "It's pretty fun for me!" Donatello offered his brother his empty hand, which Mikey gratefully accepted. Once the orange wearing terrapin was off his bum, Don raised an eye ridge at him. "Bored?" he questioned.

"Bored." Mikey replied, "No! More than bored! Don, I'm LOSING MY MIND!" he yelled with a toss of his three fingered hands in the air. Don clicked his tongue at his brother, shaking his head.

"You must be if you are coming to me for some 'excitement'." Don commented, knowing he and his younger brother did not exactly have the same idea of 'fun'. But one look into his otouto's big blue eyes and Donatello knew Mikey was desperate to relieve his boredom. He sat his welding tool aside and tilted his head at Mikey, unconvinced.

"Don, I swear, I will do ANYTHING!" Mikey begged, "As long as its not language, math, science, or history related."

Don hesitated a moment, wondering if he should let his brother know that everything was related to those subjects. He decided against it, not wanting Mikey to whine about being bored any more. He let out a breath and waved Michelangelo towards what he had been working on.

At the end of large, silvery metal table a few feet into Don's workspace, several beakers full of some strange blue liquid sat alongside several open textbooks whose names Mikey was sure he couldn't pronounce even if he knew them. He gave Don a look that said he wasn't very impressed. He noticed his brother cringe, as if Mikey had just looked at something he shouldn't have. But Don seemed to recover quickly.

"Not that stuff, shell for brains," Donatello teased, motioning to the other end of the table, "This is what I had been working on."

Michelango's eyes widened as he gazed upon a very well hand crafted, black, shiny, lit up, new-

"TV!" Mikey cried out as he lunged hungrily at the two by two box. Don barely managed to hold him back, pointing out that there was only static on the screen right now.

"It's not finished yet," Donatello explained to his little brother that looked so sad at being denied his entertainment yet again, "Why don't you help me finish it up. Mike..." Don cut off a surely sarcastic comment about how that sounded very un-fun to Mikey as the orange masked turtle opened his mouth, "O-or not, you could go bug Raph, too. Probably the latter would be best." the last statement was stuttered nervously, but Mikey failed to catch the tone as he made his decision

"The sooner the better! Two turtles equals twice the speed!" Mikey smiled brightly. Really, though, helping Don meant handing him the tools he asked for and listening to Don explain how this television didn't need electricity in some strange techno geek language that was far from Mikey's ability to care to learn. It seemed as if Don was trying to hold Mikey's attention, and although he appreciated the gesture, it wasn't long before those beakers at the other end seemed more interesting than a not yet working TV.

"What's in the jars anyways?" Mikey asked, interrupting a long description of crossed, parallel, and complete circuits.

"Huh?" Don said distractedly as he worked on the television, "Thats the syrum I've been working on to keep sensei with us longer, though right now it's unstable and in a liqu-" Donatello froze at the realization of what he had just revealed to Michelangelo. He snapped up quickly from his position bent over the TV, turning to face his brother's disbelieving stare. Donatello didn't know if it was the heat making his mind groggy, the sleepless weeks he'd spent trying to create a miracle for Splinter, or the need to keep Mikey happy and distracted by telling him whatever he found interesting, but he had not meant for those words to come out.

"What do you mean, 'keep him with us longer'?" Mikey asked, a suspicious light entering his eyes as Don covered his face with one hand and stood slowly.

Don's mistake was answering too quickly without thinking.

"Mikey, please, you have to understand, we wanted to tell you-" he was cut off by the horrified look his brother was now giving him.

"So the others know about it?" Mikey said quietly, obviously hurt. Don opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the angry scream that followed, "You were all going to just not tell me!?"

"N-no!" Donatello yelled quickly, taken aback slightly by this very angry Michelangelo who was usually so easygoing. He couldn't blame his brother for acting this way though, "It's just me! I'm the only one who knows!"

"Knows what, bro'?"

Donatello turned quickly to Raphael, who had been alerted by Mikey's screaming and was leaning against the wall. Leo and Master Splinter were also coming down from their room to see what was happening. Don looked at the ground and did not answer his older brother as Splinter came in and immediately discerned the situation.

"Donatello, you were careless." Splinter spoke firmly, wrapping both gray paws over the top of his cane. He watched his second youngest flinch at his words and sighed. "My sons." he began after a few moments, "I need you all to listen carefully."

Leonardo stepped away carefully from his father, suddenly feeling unsafe, as if something were about to be snatched away from him.

"Sensei?" he asked, "Father, what's going on?" All eyes were on the small frame of the old rat as the eldest turtle asked this question.

"I cannot conceal the truth any longer." he replied sadly. He looked at his sons, letting his eyes rest on each one for a moment. It was when he last came to Donatello and the purple masked reptilian looked away that Splinter continued. "I have seen my end through the ways of the Ancient One." he paused to let the words sink into his sons, but continued before any could speak, "I will be leaving you soon."

"B-but..." Michelangelo was the first to speak, he could just barely grasp the meaning of what Splinter meant, "How... Why? Can't we-"

"No, Michelangelo." Splinter said firmly, tapping his cane on the ground. "There is nothing you are able to do. My days will come to a close naturally, my age being the cause." he then explained something else weighing on Mike's mind, "Donatello had been meditating with me at the time, practicing his mental connection, and he saw what I had."

"And you didn't tell us?" Leo interrupted, in utter shock, to his beloved father and teacher, "YOU didn't tell us." he was now looking over at Don, speaking to him with malice that he had not spoken to their Master with. "How could you, Donatello? You didn't think we had the right to know?"

Before Splinter had time to explain further, Raphael snapped. He charged at Donatello, hurtling him across the room, falling carapace first on top of all but one of the beakers full of bright blue liquid, smashing the glass as his weight came down on them. He slid off the table, winded by the unexpected attack. Leonardo and Splinter held back the enraged turtle. Leo quickly told Mikey to help his brother that was now covered in blue. But Michelangelo did not move, he only stared from his Master, to his brother that now sat on the floor at the edge of the metal table, leaning heavily with his back to them on one of its legs. He didn't move to help his brother up, or to pull him away from the only remaining beaker as it tipped over and spilled it's contents over Don's head, dripping down his neck and shoulders.

Neither did Donatello move from his position.

"Donatello! You- You betrayed us!" Raph screamed. He desperately needed someone to blame, someone to take out this burning anger that was just beginning to rip through him, before it threatened to become an intense raging fire. "YOU ARE NOT OUR BROTHER!"

There was no response from Donatello.

"Coward." Raphael spat.

"Get Don on his feet, Mikey, so we can talk abut this." Leo ordered.

"No." was all Michelangelo said, causing Leonardo to shout the order again, receiving a louder, more firm reply from Mikey, "NO!"

That was that.

"URUSAI!" Splinter yelled, causing the three standing turtles to silence themselves immediately, snapping their attention to him. "Donatello is not at fault. It was pure coincidence that he had been with me at the time of my discovery. I was the one who requested of Donatello to remain silent about the subject. He has been carrying this heavy burden for three months, alone."

The three brothers stood in silence for a while. Raphael shook Leo off of him and stormed out of the lab. Mikey remained in his position, staring at his father, unsure of what to do.

Leo closed his eyes and balled his fists. They all knew this time would come, but none of them could have truly been prepared. Leonardo forced himself to put himself in his brother's place. What would he have done, could he have done, differently? From Don's point of view, probably nothing. Don had, like Leo, the tendency to face serious problems alone. Leo sighed and opened his eyes, looking towards his brother who still sat motionless against the table.

It was then that Leo noticed something wasn't right about his brother's position. It was a little to relaxed to be just merely sitting there.

"Donatello?" Leo called softly, concern now in his voice where malice was only minutes before. When he received not even the slightest movement as a reply, that concern was then replaced with worry, "Don?" The eldest brother walked over to his otouto, reaching down to touch Donatello's disturbingly hot, dry shoulder. Hadn't there been some kind of liquid on him before? He shook his brother in attempt to get him to move.

It was when Donatello limply fell into Leo's arms that Mikey was willing to help his brother up.

"Don?" Mikey said, confused, as he rushed to Leo's side. One glance at the quickly paling and barely breathing form of Donatello was enough to officially send Michelangelo into panic mode. "DONNIE?"


	2. Diagnosis

**Thank you guys for the faves and alerts! **

**Flashback/past memories are in italic.**

* * *

Splinter sat cross legged, eyes closed, and silent in his meditation room. Three of his sons kneeled before him, waiting for him to speak about the reason he had called them to him an hour earlier. They didn't need to guess what he was going to say, they all only had one thing in mind, and it was obvious that their father wanted to talk about it.

Another hour passed with no movement on Splinter's part. Leonardo and Raphael were managing to sit still, but Michelangelo was beginning to fidget. He had done well to sit in place for such a long period of time, but Splinter knew it was time to address his sons, knowing his youngest coud not last much longer. He inhaled and exhaled deeply, opening his eyes.

"I am most disappointed in you, Leonardo." He said, speaking for the first time since he entered this room, "Your actions did not prove worthy of a leader, or of a brother yesterday." Splinter tried hard not to show his own sadness as his eldest son flinched at the statement.

"Hai Sensei, I know." Leonardo replied, his voice so soft that it was almost inaudible. The blue masked terrapin kept his sad eyes on his master, obviously wanting comfort and not reproach. Splinter had a difficult time looking into this turtle's sincere dark blue eyes, so he turned to the second eldest.

"Raphael. You did not practice control over your emotions. Your anger clouded your judgement." He addressed the red masked turtle. This son only looked at the tatami mat he sat on, never once showing a sign he had even heard his father. "Rapha-"

"HAI, I know what I did." the reptile suddenly spurted out, still not looking up. Splinter could tell that Raphael wanted to say more, to defend himself, but was glad to see that he did not.

"Michelangelo," Splinter turned to his youngest, who had let his mind wander again and was looking up at something on the ceiling. He jolted and snapped his attention back to his Master as the turtle's name was called, "You jumped to conclusions without waiting for explanations, nor did you think before you decided upon your actions." Splinter knew that the latter was not uncommon for the orange masked turtle, but to do so against his own brother was not excusable.

Michelangelo opened his mouth to say something, but apparently took Splinter's words to heart and decided against saying them. He only nodded sadly, then hung his head, much like Raphael.

Splinter, satisfied with the answers he had received, breathed in and let the silence between he and his sons stretch out for several minutes. Mikey had just started to squirm once more when his Master spoke again.

"And I acted foolishly as well."

This brought all three of the turtle's attention to Splinter, even if they had not all looked at him. The serious tone in their Father's voice raised concern among them. Leo was the first to speak after his master.

"Master?" he asked, glancing at his two siblings. Mikey gave a shrug, and Raph did not look back at him.

"Had I not been prying into the future, this would not have happened," he sighed,"I was concerned for your futures, my sons. The future where I do not exist." the rat let out a disappointed sigh at himself, pinching the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. He continued on slowly.

"Donatello had relaxed his usuall training to work on one of his projects, so I forced him to meditate with me while I used a technique taught to me by the Ancient One. Although, I had never expected Donatello would be training his mental focus on the one grounding thing in the room at the time. Me."

Leonardo was leaning towards his master slightly by this point, listening avidly to every word he was saying. Even Michelangelo sat unnaturally still, his bright blue eyes fixed upon the rat before him. Splinter could tell that Raphael, with his sight still attached to the tatami mat, was also listening intently. Splinter knew that when it came to family matters, his sons were, as they say, 'all buisiness'.

"Obviously, I had discovered what I had not intended to." Splinter continued, "The time of one's death is not something any individual should know about themselves." he looked around to each son, then got to the moral of his story, "My sons, do you think, whether you had known of my imminent end or not, that you would respond any differently when the time comes?"

Michelangelo seemed to be having a hard time deciphering his Master's question, but Leonardo answered immediately.

"No, Sensei." he said solemnly, "We all know that each of us will die someday, and when it happens, we will be heartbroken all the same." When Splinter nodded, Leo finally understood what the whole point of the lecture was about. What they had done, the way they had reacted to the announcement, was totally pointless. Splinter was going to die either way, and knowing when it would happen could not have helped them anyways.

Raphael, on the other hand, either did not understand this, or refused to.

"Master Splinter!" he began saying immediately after Leo. He finally looked up from the floor, his eyes fierce and trained on his Father, "There is so much more we gotta learn from you! Don't you think we'd want to spend the time we have left with you wisely!?" Raphael's sounded angry, but their master did not miss the edge of fear in his son's voice.

Splinter shook his head sadly, ready to make a reply, but Raphael cut him off, "Shell! Donatello probably knows the exact date, and we don't even know how long we have left with you! Don probably wanted to take as much time he could with you for himself!"

Before he could rant any longer, which he could have, Splinter gave his son a hard thwack on the head with his cane.

"Ow! Sen-" Raphael shouted, stopping short at the sight of his Father's disapproving glare.

"Do not be so idiotic as to forget you are speaking about your brother, Raphael. One who has gone to great lengths for you, as you have him." his red masked son fell silent at that, once again connecting his stare to the mat below him. "You all know very well what Donatello has done in my regards." Splinter scolded him.

Raphael flinched at Splinter's words. How could he not? All that had been on any of the turtle's minds were events that took place the previous day.

* * *

_Raphael stormed out of the lab and into the living room. He didn't even know what to think. All he knew was that he felt a hole growing inside of him, and the only thing he had to fill it was the anger that he couldn't seem to shake. He felt hot rage building up, ready to burst out of him._

_Turning to one of the inoperable televisions, Raph yelled angrily as he whipped out a sai and flung it with deadly accuracy at the screen. He stood, panting for a moment as the red cleared from his vision. He growled with displeasure as he stalked over and yanked out his weapon from the TV's pierced innards. He knew he should be taking out his frustration on the punching bag, not on Mikey's beloved entertainment._

_Just as he had thought of his youngest brother, he heard his voice cry out Donatello's nickname. The amount of hysteria in Michelangelo's voice unnerved Raphael, and he whipped around to face the lab. Leo and Mikey were rushing out of the workroom, a rather lifeless looking Donatello between them. They each carried an arm of their olive green brother, his feet dragging on the smooth floor of the lair._

_Raphael forgot his rage almost instantly, abandoning it for the terrible feeling of dread that ripped through his chest. He tucked his Sai away and ran after his brothers. They had carried Don into his bedroom, which (surprise, surprise) was right outside the lab._

_As he entered the room, his brothers were lying Donatello on the cot on the far side of the room. His limp brother was shaking uncontrollably, painfully pale, and sweating all at once._

_"It's burning up in here, Leo." Mikey said shakily, "Why is he shivering?"_

_"He has a fever, Mikey." Leo replied with an even tone. Raph managed to catch the blue wearing turtle's eye, and immediately could tell that his brother was losing his cool, despite the confident tone._

_"What happened?" Raphael demanded, not letting Leo look away from him._

_"He wouldn't move." Leo replied quickly, "Mikey thinks that blue stuff did it to him." at this, Michelangelo nodded._

_"He said it was unstable, or something..." Mikey trailed off, looking down at his sickly brother, who's breathing had turned raspy. Raph went still, remembering how he had thrown Don onto the table, causing the dread to continue to grow inside of him._

_"He's gonna be okay, right?" Raph directed this question at no one in particular, but it was an answer he desperately needed to know. He received no answer._

_"Miss O'neil is on her way." came Splinter's voice behind them. The three turtles turned quickly to him. "I have no idea what Donatello was working on, but Miss O'neil may be of assistance to us in that matter."_

_"I know someone else who may be able to help." Leo added, grabbing his shell cell from his belt, only to realize that they would have no signal due to the power outage. _

_"Donatello set up a land line last week, remember?" Raph said absently, knowing his brother would be trying to call Leatherhead. The reptilian mutant would be invaluable if they were going to figure it what was happening to Donatello. Leo nodded, heading out the doorway to go make the call. _

_After Leonardo was done making his call, he returned to his brother's room. He sat down beside his father at the side of Don's cot. The rat was chanting a healing mantra while cupping his hand over Donatello's forehead. The unwell turtle groaned as a terrible tremor passed through him. Raphael, who was standing against the wall next to his brother and father, looked away from the shaking form. Michelangelo was sitting in a chair across the room at a desk, which Don would usually be working at in his spare time. He had his knees drawn up to his chest, hugging his legs and peeking over them, his eyes unfocused and worried as he stared in the direction of his brothers._

_It seemed like hours had passed by the time April got there. After a brief explanation of the situation, she was led directly to Don, handed a very large first aid kit, and asked to diagnose him. She began her examination immediately, sensing the tension in the room and deciding there was no time to waste. She got a flashlight from the kit and checked each of the terrapin's eyes, followed by his tongue as well as pulse and blood pressure._

_"Im no expert on mutant health, but this looks a lot like poisoning." she concluded after much hesitation to tell the others, knowing they would be wanting to hear good news. The tension in the air rose rapidly as Donatello groaned again and convulsed a few times. Leo wrapped an arm over his little brother in an attempt to steady him._

_"What can we do for him?" Leonardo asked April, his eyes pleading with her to tell him that there was some way to fix his otouto. April's heart tightened painfully at the sight of the desperate turtle, unsure how to tell him she had no idea what to do._

_"He needs an antidote." came a deep and familiar voice from behind. All turned to look at Leatherhead, who was looming in the entrance to Donatello's room, ducking his head to peer into it's contents. "Miss O'neil, we will need a blood sample, ASAP." he told the red haired woman. April nodded obediently, getting a syringe from the first aid kit._

_Leatherhead then ordered everyone besides April to leave the room. Although reluctant, they all complied and tentatively left Donatello's side, trusting the scientist-turned-mutant. After having the healthy turtles move some equipment from the lab and into the room, Leatherhead was quick to lock them out, having everything he needed. _

_The three brothers reluctantly left the area, going into their own rooms to deal with the heavy thoughts that were entering their minds._

_Splinter had lingered outside of the new sick bay a little while longer before turning to the meditation room._

_An hour went by, followed by another, and another, until almost ten hours had passed since there was any news from Donatello's personal sick bay. Mikey had been sitting against his door in a balled up posting and his face buried in his arms, brooding over the thought of losing Donatello. They had experienced what it was like without their level headed brother more than once, and they were all miserable experiences._

_Just when he thought he might break down, Mikey heard the sound of Leatherhead's voice from outside. He jumped up immediately, swinging his door open and rushing downstairs. His brothers obviously had been waiting for word from the crocodilian mutant, because they were there just as soon as he was._

_"Well?" Mikey asked, eyes watery as he expected the worst. He went rigid as _

_Leatherhead just shook his head. Mikey looked at his brothers, not understanding. But they too seemed to be at a loss._

_"Is he...?" Leonardo started, but faltering because he couldn't bear to finish the sentence._

_"No." the crocodile said, getting more confused looks from his friends, "But there is something I need to discuss with all of you." he turned to the rat who was now walking towards them. Splinter nodded gravely, and Leatherhead beckoned the four mutants into Donatello's room. What they saw as they entered the room shocked them._

_Donatello was lying belly first on his cot, April sitting next to him with a hand on his head. All of his padding and his mask had been removed and set aside. His complexion was unnervingly pale, he was shaking to the point where it almost looked like a seizure, and his breath was ragged and shallow. But what startled them the most was the condition of Donatello's back. Don's shell was horribly deformed. It was dented in on the sides and top, as if it were caving in on him._

_"What the heck is going on?" Raphael directed the question to Leatherhead. His angry tone did not sit well with the crocodile apparently, for the larger reptile gave the feisty turtle a harsh glare that sent Raph a step back._

_"The concave shapes are symptoms from Donatello's cells deteriorating, much like when he was turned into a monster." he explained, remembering the horrible accident caused by Bishop all those moths ago. He forced down the rage that threatened to lunge out at the thought of the vile man and continued, "It was caused by the formula that Donatello had been working on for your Sensei._

_"How do you know about Sensei?" Leonardo questioned, a hint of suspicion in his voice. They hadn't let April or Leatherhead know of Splinter's fate. Leatherhead walked over to Don's desk, where he had placed multiple objects from the lab, one of which was blinking and making strange noises as it spun around rapidly. The crocodile reached for a book on the desk._

_"Donatello's notebooks." he replied to the turtle._

_"I thought those were text books or something." Mikey said. _

_"No, Donatello has been working on a formula to regenerate Splinter's cells," Leatherhead commented, tapping the notebook, "These are all of his findings and results from the experiments he had been conducting for the past three months." The mutant shook his head, "He had almost completed the formula. It was in an unstable state when it entered his system. His body started reproducing cells to quickly, and his body took counteractive measures to expel them."_

_"Even though the new cells had a very similar structure, they had components that Donatello is now missing, due to his mutated state. Also, being mutated into a monster as well as decompling his matter into cyber energy so many times has disrupted his DNA."_

_"So, what, he's going to waste away, just like that?" Raphael questioned, making sure to even his tone this time. _

_"That's what I want to talk to you about." Leatherhead replied. As he did, the spinning machine beeped and slowly came to a stop. Leatherhead reached over, setting the notebook down, and opened the top of the machine. He pulled out a glass tube of eerily familiar blue liquid. "This," he explained, "is the stabilizer I was able to come up with from Donatello's notes." he held his free hand up to stop Raphael from speaking as the turtle opened his mouth, "But I do not know what the effect will be since the chemicals in him are unstable. It could either quicken his deterioration, or have unforeseen side effects. Or it could cure him completely."_

_The four Family members understood immediately. Their decision was wether or not they wanted to administer the stabilizer to Donatello or not. _

_"Wether or not this cure works, it's the only chance we have." Leonardo spoke up, "What do you say, guys?" he turned to his father and brothers._

_"Let's hurry up and get it over with." Raphael huffed, not looking his brother in the eye. Splinter nodded in agreement. It was then that Leo noticed Michelangelo was staring at their dying brother silently. _

_"Mikey?" Leo questioned. The orange masked reptile stood still for a few more moments before nodding slowly._

_Leatherhead looked at April, who also nodded and got out a needle from the first aid kit. He handed her the vile and let her administer the stabilizer into the miserable turtle's arm. Donatello let out a grunt after a few moments after she gave him the shot. His breathing stayed the same, but she could clearly see his muscles relaxing. She turned to the guys, who were all staring intently at their brother, as if they expected him to leap up and start running around._

_"It might take awhile for it to work its way through his system, guys." she told them, "You might want to wait outside. Leatherhead and I can watch over him for a bit."_

_"Sadly Miss O'neil," Leatherhead started, with deep sorrow thought his voice, "I can not stay tonight. I have some... Unfinished business to attend to." _

_"You can't just leave!" Raphael shot out in reply. This statement received a low growl from the crocodile that made Raph take another step back._

_"It is not that I do not wish to be here with my friend, Raphael." Leatherhead was almost hissing at him, "I would rather be here than where I am going." he let his tone soften as he saw the distress in the turtle's eyes. "I will only be a phone call away, my friends." _

_After that, Leatherhead gave instructions to April on what to look for if he was showing bad symptoms, and what to do if they occurred, then he left in a hurry to some unknown appointment. Master Splinter ordered his three other sons to bed, saying he would be staying with April and Don through the night._

* * *

Now they sat in the meditation room, all of them tired from the worry that had kept them up throughout the night. April said Don's condition seemed to be stabilizing, and she was making breakfast at the moment. Raphael sighed inwardly.

"As soon as that dork wakes up," he said, his brothers and father looking at him now, "I'm gonna have to be the first one to apologize."

Splinter smiled at his son, glad that something seemed to be getting through the turtle's thick skull. "We all owe Donatello apologies." he said, receiving nods from each son.

Just when the mood had started to lighten, April's cry sounded throughout the lair.

"Donatello?" Was all they needed to hear before they jumped up and ran out of the room. They rushed downstairs to meet April as she came out of Don's room. "He- he's gone!" she stammered.

"What!?" the rest said in unison. They went into Don's room, looked at the balled up blankets on the empty cot, then turned around. They split up and began searching high and low around the lair, coming up empty in every room. They met back in front of Donatello's room after their fruitless search.

"Where the shell is he?" Mikey asked, shaking his head with his hands on it, obviously freaking out.

"Maybe he went into the sewers? If he had a fever he could be delirious." April brought up.

"Maybe." Leo said, "We should split up and search. April and Master Splinter will stay here just in case he-" he began to order, but was cut off by a whimper behind them. They all whipped around, facing the room. Leo walked into Don's room, followed by the others. "What the shell was that?" he asked.

"Don? You in here?" Raph called. They all jumped when a louder whimper came from the cot. Mikey, who was closest to the bed, noticed the messed up blankets were moving. He carefully walked over and slowly pulled the covers away. He stiffened at what he saw.

"D-dudes..." he stuttered, turning to everyone and pointing at the cot. All eyes widened as they looked upon the creature that lay there.

A small, olive green, crying baby turtle.

* * *

**So? Were you all expecting this? Cause I was. :)**


	3. Obstacles

**Okay, this one took alittle longer to release since I went back and edited it to make it somewhat easier to read. Let me know what you think! (and if the way this chapter was written is better than the last two).**

* * *

"Haven't you got ahold of him yet!?" Raphael hissed quietly at his blue clad brother. He watched in dismay as Leo shook his head, the phone pressed against his ear. The eldest turtle pressed the hook switch and punched in Leatherhead's phone number for the hundredth time.

Raph threw his hands into the air and stomped out of the kitchen and into the dimly lit living room. April was sleeping on the long part of a sectional in the middle of the room, while Splinter was carefully cradling their sleeping brother in his arms on the short end. Raph scowled as his eyes fell upon the tiny turtle.

When they had found Donatello in this state, everyone was shocked. No one had moved to pick up the sad little creature, barely even a foot long. It was making pathetic little noises as tears silently streamed from its closed eyes and down chubby little cheeks.

Of course, no one wanted to believe it was the genius brother at first, but when there was no evidence that Don had left the lair, it was quite apparent that the infant turtle was indeed their brother. Splinter was the first to act, grabbing the little tyke up and checking him over. April was nearing the point of collapse, having stayed up all night caring for the sick Donatello. This new twist was a little too much for her to handle, but she managed to go to the store for baby supplies on Splinter's request.

Once Splinter had coaxed the tiny Donatello to sleep, he immediately told his sons to call for the help of their reptilian scientist friend. But they were having no luck reaching him, contrary to what Leatherhead had told them before he left.

"Splinter, I-" Raph said quietly to his master, but was shushed immediately as the turtle tot squirmed in the fuzzy arms holding him. Once again, Raphael put his hands in the air, trying to show how frustrated he was. The whole situation quite plainly baffled him. Sure, he was glad his brother seemed to be healthy, but to be turned into a baby was just ridiculous. What was he supposed to think? Master Splinter acted as if nothing was different about their brother, while Mikey and Leo were avoiding the subject completely. Normally, Raph would have gone straight to Don to ask what he could do to fix the situation, but it was obvious Don wouldn't be helping anyone right now.

Raphael turned to look at Mikey, who had entered the room with a pillow and blanket for April. He watched as his orange wearing brother carefully placed the blanket over the red head, while lifting said head carefully to slide the pillow under. Mikey glanced over at Splinter, wincing slightly at the sight of his 'little' brother. Then he turned and walked into the kitchen, Raph close behind.

"I can't get through." Leo said as his brothers came in. He hung up the phone and shook his head wearily. Raph grunted in irritation.

"What the heck? I thought we could count on that big lug to help us out!" he growled, raising his voice slightly. His brothers shushed him, not wanting to wake sleeping Donatello, or April. Raphael crossed his arms, raising an eye ridge at the other two.

"What?" Mikey asked, "Haven't you ever heard a crying baby? It's horrible! And an angry, tired April is even worse!" he whispered, getting a slap on the back of the head from Raph.

"Like you would know, shell for brains. And April's sleepin' like the dead." Raph retorted, keeping his voice down this time, just in case. They all stood awkwardly in silence for a few moments, none of them really knowing what to say.

"Do... Do you think he's stuck like that?" Mikey asked, uncertainty riddled throughout his voice.

"I don't know, Mikey." Leonardo replied quickly, as if expecting the question, "Until we can get Leatherhead to check him out, we may be living with tiny Donatello for a while."

"Your speculation is very possible, Leonardo." Splinter said, walking into the kitchen with a now awake and diapered Donatello in his arms. His head was supported by the rat's arm, but it rolled over to stare at the larger turtles with a placid expression.

"Awwwwehhhhhh!" Mikey squealed, "He's so cute!" Leo and Raph stared at their younger brother, dumbfounded by the comment. It was the first positive thing anyone had said about Donatello's new form, and not even Mikey was sure how he felt about saying such a thing. "Well, he is! Just look at those eyes!" Mikey pointed at the turtle tot's face, drawing their attention to the big brown eyes that stared back at them.

"I am glad you feel that way, Michelangelo." Splinter chuckled, walking up to the now second youngest son, "Because until Donatello can be returned to his original state, you three will be his caretakers." He then handed the infant over to Michelangelo. Mikey's eyes widened as he took his brother in his arms cautiously, surprised at how light he was. He carefully supported the small head, and wrapped an arm around the miniature legs that were balled up to the tiny turtle's chest.

All of the brothers, including Donatello, looked at each other. It was clear by their Father's tone that he expected to make the most out of the situation. They knew that they could leave it up to their Sensei to turn a possibly horrible accident into a training lesson.

"Sensei, none of us have the first clue on how to take care of..." Leonardo said, letting his eyes drift to tiny Donatello, who gazed back at him.

"Neither had I when I began raising you four." Splinter replied, "It takes focus, discipline, and constant effort to raise a child." he smiled at his sons, "It will be the most difficult challenge you've had to face so far."

That last sentence struck a cord. Difficult? The brothers strongly doubted that taking care of a baby would be harder than anything they've ever had to do before. They would regret underestimating this challenge later.

"But, why Master Splinter?" Raphael asked.

"The reason will become apparent to you one day." He replied simply, gaining a groan from his temperamental son. He looked over at Michelangelo, glancing at the turtle in his arms, "I would say your first obstacle has presented itself."

Confused, Mikey looked down into his arms. He was startled to see that Donatello was looking up at him, tears streaming from his eyes. The tiny terrapin hadn't made a single sound, so none of them noticed that he had begun to cry.

"Ohmygosh, Ohmygosh." instantly panicking, Mikey instinctively turned to his leader, "Leeeoooo, what do I do!?"

Leonardo blinked a couple of times, stumped. He decided to make a guess, "Maybe he's hungry?" He looked over at their Sensei, to see if he had answered correctly. Chuckling slightly, the rat just smiled and walked out of the room.

"Well, give im' a bottle or somethin'!" Raph pointedly stated. Mikey nodded and went to the fridge, taking out one of the bottles of formula April had been so kind to prepare the night before.

"Alright, little Donnie, snack time!" Mikey smiled, moving the bottle toward's the infant's mouth. As soon as the little one started suckling, though, he would crinkle his face and open his mouth, spitting out the formula. "Gross, Donnie!" Mikey shrieked, startling the little turtle, causing more tears to quietly roll down the round face.

"Mikey, it's cold!" Leo told Mikey, just coming to the realization himself. He took the bottle from his younger brother and handed him some paper towels, which Mikey used to clean up with. Leo made his way over to the microwave, only to realize once again that the power was out. Then he heard a click from behind that made him turn around.

April was standing at the gas stove, a lighter in one hand, and a pan in the other. The dark circles under her eyes and the death glare she was giving Mikey was enough to tell Leo that the red head wasn't very happy about being woken up. They watched quietly as she turned the stove on, bringing the red and blue flames of the fire to life with the lighter. She walked over to the sink and filled the pan halfway with water, then sat it over the flames. Afterwards, she whipped around, glaring at them all.

"When the water starts to boil, put the bottle in the water," she began, speaking in a much milder tone than they had expected her to, "Let it heat up for four minutes, shake the bottle, and check to see if it's too hot or cold." The turtles nodded obediently. April's glare then fell upon the orange masked one who had woken her with his shriek, "I'm going home for today. DON'T call me unless it's an absolute emergency. I will be sleeping." Then she turned without waiting for any replies, muttering curses under her breath as she left the lair.

The three stared at her as she went out of sight. Then Leo and Raph set to work, trying to remember everything April had said. Standing around the stove, they managed to follow the first step without an argument.

"Okay, so next... I shake it?"

"Yeah, then you check the temperature."

"How am I supposed to know how hot is too hot?"

"I dunno Raph, maybe use your common sense!?"

"Hey! I know what I was doing, give it back!"

Mikey rocked the crying Donnie in his arms as he listened to his older brothers bicker over the formula. He tried everything to keep the infant from being so upset, from funny faces to bouncing around, but the tot started hiccuping as it continued to cry. With a low grumble, Mikey stomped over and snatched the bottle from between the two, who spun around to face him immediately.

"Baka Nii-chans." Mikey told them. His brother's eyes widened as Mikey took a sip from the bottle, then carefully smacked his lips. He decided that it was a safe temperature, then plugged it into his, now little, brother's mouth. He smiled as Donnie accepted the bottle, eagerly drinking it's contents with happy baby coos.

"Wow, Mikey." Raph chuckled, "Never thought you'd be the motherly type."

"Shut up!" Mikey mumbled, then he looked up at his brother with a wicked grin, "Someone's gotta pick up your slack."

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Raph growled, acknowledging the taunt. He failed to catch the grin that passed over Leo's face as his older brother understood what Michelangelo was up to.

"It means that you couldn't handle a baby, even if you tried!" before his irritated brother could reply, Mikey went on, "You'd probably scare him with just one look of that ugly mug of yours, plus, you've never been good at things that require finesse. Me? I've got that in spades!"

"The shell you do!" Raph raised his voice, receiving a flinch from the infant in his annoying brother's arms, who then grinned at Raph as to say 'I told you so!'.

"Gimme that thing, I'll show you." Raphael demanded, holding out his arms.

Mikey hesitated for a moment, suddenly feeling protective over the little creature in his embrace, but handed Donnie over, making sure the bottle never fell out of his mouth.

Raph regretted his hasty decision as soon as he held the delicate frame. He realized just how unprepared he had been to see his brother like this from such close range. He felt the small body in his arms, the soft legs and arms pressed against them. This definitely wasn't the lean, muscular brother he knew. As he looked down at the child that was staring up into his face, he felt a scowl creep across his features. Several thoughts crept into his mind, most along the lines of 'This isn't my brother.' or 'Theres no way this is really happening.'

"Uh, Raph." Rahael felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked to the left at Leo. His brother gave him a very concerned look, and glanced down at Donatello. When Raph followed his gaze, he saw that the child had stopped drinking, and his cheeks were glistening in the incandescent light from above, wet with tears once more. Raph had been too lost in thought to notice.

"I think you scared him with that evil face you were making." Mikey teased, which Raph pointedly ignored.

"God dangit Donnie..." Raph said, somewhat flustered. He would never say Mikey was right, but Raphael knew as well as anyone who knew him that handling kids wasn't his forte. With a frown, Raph looked over at Leo, who sighed and held his arms out. The red banded turtle gratefully handed over the olive green one.

When Leo took him, it was like watching a father and son. The eldest turtle gently caressed the infant, cradling him in both arms. He carefully propped the little head up with one elbow and started feeding the bottle to him once more. His brothers watched in awe as Leo rocked back and forth until the eyelids on the chubby face drooped closed. Even in his sleep, Donatello continued to nurse the bottle.

"Mother hen." Raph chuckled, gaining a disapproving look from his blue wearing brother, "I guess Mikey got replaced." he looked over at the other brother, who crossed his arms and huffed in obvious dissapintment that Donnie hadn't fallen asleep in his arms.

They all fell silent, gazing upon the sleeping face. Leo took one of Donnie's closed little fists and pried it open, replacing the empty grasp with his finger. They all held their breath as Donnie breathed in suddenly, and were relived when it was only to let out a content sigh and happy hums. They could hear his steady breathing, which was so different from the painfully irradic ones he had the night before, and they looked on as he just lay there, seeming to be at peace in his big brothers arms. The ongoing silence gave room for thought, thoughts which Raphael did not welcome.

"Why does he cry like that?" Raph whispered, pushing away the other nagging questions that had entered his mind.

"Like what?" Leo asked, not looking up from the sleeping turtle in his arms. It was almost as if he had gone into a trance, slowly shifting on his feet to keep the rocking motion going. Raph tried to ignore how accepting his brother seemed to be of Donatello's new state.

"He just cries! With no sound or anything. I thought babies were supposed to be loud and annoying all the time or somethin'!" he said, receiving a nod from Michelangelo, who already pointed out that babies were loud when they cried.

"Well, Donnie has always been the quiet one." Leo smiled, watching his brother accept his answer. Then he had an epiphany. "Hey, you know, we hardly ever call Don 'Donnie' anymore, yet we've all called him that while we've been holding him."

This realization made Raph and Mikey freeze, remembering when they had said their brother's nickname.

"I guess..." Mikey started, his voice hitching as he continued, "I guess he really just isn't Don when he's like this..." Their orange masked brother trailed off, leaving yet another uncomfortable silence hang heavily in the air.

It was after his younger brother's statement that Raph realized his brothers might not be as okay with the situation as they led on. He observed Mikey, noticing the missplaced forlorn light in his eyes, and how his shoulders sagged slightly as he looked at Leo and Donnie. And now that he thought about it, Leo too had a lost sort of look about him every time he looked at their shrunken brother. He knew what they were thinking about, and knew he had to say something before things got annoyingly depressing around the lair. Raph held a sigh in as he dreaded the sappiness that he was about to release.

"Don't worry, bros." he started, making sure to keep his volume low, "It ain't like Don's gone. He's right here for Christ's sake!" he motioned emphatically towards Leo's occupied arms, "We just need to take care of 'Donnie' until we can find a way to get Don back. Besides, Master Splinter seems okay with the whole thing, and when has he ever steered us wrong?"

Raphael almost flinched as his brothers immediately smiled mischievously back at him in reply.

"Aweh! Your so nice, Raph!" Mikey cooed, "Are you trying to cheer us up?"

"That's so kind of you, Raphie!" Leo chuckled, tag teaming with his orange banded brother. They both started shaking with laughter, trying to hold it in as not to wake Donnie, as Raph crossed his arms and mumbled something about never being nice again.

"We know that, Raph." Leo continued after he stopped laughing, "We just miss him, and I know you do too." he smiled at his brother, "It's going to be an adventure, that's for sure."

This time, Raph smiled back. He knew they were going to get their brother back. They had to.

Suddenly, Mikey sniffed the air, followed by a disgusted grunt. Raph pinched the bridge of his nose and waved his hand through the air. Leo's eyes widened as he held sleeping Donnie away from him slightly. His diaper definitly stunk.

"Someone." Leo said, hs eyes beginning to water from the smell, "Call April, I think we have an emergency."


	4. Obsession

**Okay, so a couple things with this chapter. There are some short time skips, so keep an eye out for them! Also, I thought Mikey would be the first one that shows how he really feels about Donnie, since he is the most open with his feelings. I'm sorry if he gets a little out of character!**

* * *

Over the course of the next week, the brothers were confined to the lair. They had yet to contact Leatherhead, and in the meanwhile they were all busy caring for Donnie. They were willing to care for him, but it soon became obvious that April was a necessary asset. After the first three calls to come from her apartment to take care of a dirty diaper, she decided to sleep over at the lair until the boys could handle it themselves. But she and Master Splinter made it clear that the most part of Donatello's care was in their hands.

Mikey ended up taking the brunt end of the care taking. He bathed the little fellow once a day, seeing how much he liked water, and played with the tot constantly. He was usually the one to feed too, although Raphael would take over the bottle feeding once in a while. Then at nap time, Leonardo would take over. For some reason, Donnie would never fall asleep in the other two's arms. Mikey blamed it on Leo's 'healing vibes'. But that did not deter Mikey from waking up to check on him every two hours, knowing that the baby turtle wouldn't cry out loud to let them know if he needed anything.

It was when he was rocking the little turtle to sleep that Leo noticed something different about the tiny terrapin. He was on the sectional, Donnie snuggled against his plastron, comfortably dozing off. The lights were dimmed and it was nearing bed time for the infant. Flickering incandescent light lit up Mikey's face as he flipped through channels with the television on mute. He had been ecstatic when Casey had come over with a small generator, and Mikey called dibs on it immediately. None of them had complained, they all knew how unusually attentive Mikey had been towards Donnie, and they all thought he deserved a little time for himself.

"Hey, Mikey." Leo whispered, glancing down as Donnie squirmed in his arms. He lowered his voice even more as he continued, "I think Donnie has gotten bigger."

"Well, duh." Mikey whispered back, not removing his blank stare from the television, "He goes through almost a gallon worth of formula a day, and we've been feeding him baby food too. Of course he's gonna get fat."

"Not like that." Leo huffed quietly, rolling his eyes, "I mean, not only is he heavier, but his legs are longer and he moves around more." He watched his brother shrug a bit, then continued to try and get a reaction out of him, "Didn't you say you saw him lift his head and try to sit up earlier today?" he asked.

"Yeahhhh..." Mikey said, actually turning his eyes to acknowledge his brother this time.

"Well, babies don't develope those kinds of muscles until they're several months old." he's said, then brought the point home, "I think Donnie is growing much faster than a normal child." It was then that Mikey turned his whole head to look at his brother.

"We grew fast, too." he pointed out. Leo nodded at this, knowing it was a valid point. It was just that something bugged him about the growth rate of Donnie. He would never say this out loud, especially not to Mikey, but he worried that if little Donnie kept growing so fast he would leave Don behind. What would they do if their brother was never the same again? He shivered slightly at the thought.

"How can you be cold?" Mikey said after he noticed Leo tremble. He flopped backwards to let the couch support his limp body, "It's sooooooo hot!" Leo chuckled at his brother, letting the mood lighten.

"Maybe if we used the generator for the AC instead of the cable..." he trailed off as Mikey turned his head to glare at him, "What?"

"Nothing is worth living without television! Not again!" Mikey complained, a little too loudly for Donnie to fall asleep, so Leo shushed him with a smile.

"Yes, yes Mikey, we all know how much you love your TV time." he chuckled. He expected some sort of sarcastic comeback, or a defensive huff at least, so Leonardo was surprised when his little brother went rigid, sitting up immediately with a very shocked expression on his face. "Mikey?" he asked, softening his tone with worry. He pulled a hand away from Donnie to reach out to Michelangelo, but his brother flinched as he touched him and stood up. Leo watched as Mikey shook his head sadly and walked off to his bedroom. Leo sat, dumbfounded, the light from the screen still flickering to light up the room as silent commercials played. As badly as he wanted to chase after Mikey to see what was wrong, Donnie fell asleep, incapacitating his movements.

* * *

After that night, Mikey was unnaturally quiet, for him at least. He engrossed himself in caring for Donnie. He fussed over the littlest thing as Donnie began to crawling two days later, which confirmed Leonardo's suspicions of the rate at which Donnie was growing. Mikey baby proofed everything and scolded everyone that posed a danger to the little turtle. He no longer let Raphael feed him, and persistently tried to get the little turtle to fall asleep within his arms instead of Leo's, to no avail of course. He stopped watching television or any recreation he used to dabble in completely, and even told Raph to hook the generator up to the air conditioning instead of the TV, worried that Donnie might become dehydrated from the heat.

By the end of the second week, Donnie was twice the size of when they had found him, and he was becoming more coordinated by the hour. He also became quite curious, which Leonardo suspected was part of Donatello's personality coming through. He got into everything.

If something interested the tiny mind, he would pick it up and inspect it quietly. Most of the time whatever he had would be inserted into the toothless mouth at some point, and at some point one of the three brothers would have to take whatever he had away to keep him from choking on the object. He already knew how to open the cabnet doors in the kitchen, and they had caught him several times pulling out the pots and pans that were inside. Mikey was quick to block that area off with the sectional, making all the other occupants of the lair climb over the couch if they wanted a snack or drink. He also locked the lab, barricaded the staircases, and blocked every path leading out to the sewers.

No one said anything, but they all knew Mikey's obsession was getting out of hand. Leo didn't necessarily disagree with Mikey's methods, but he hated to see his otouto so stressed and uptight about every little detail. Leo knew he had to talk to Mikey soon.

* * *

It was on the third weekend since Donnie became little, and he was walking almost completely steady. Leo had helped the olive green turtle to take his first steps, carefully holding both of the tiny three fingered hands above Donnie's head and moving him forward. Donnie had only taken a couple wobbly steps before Leo let go of him, and watched as Donnie continued to walk in a (mostly) straight line for Mikey, who was crouched to the infant's level and holding out his hands, not five feet away. When he reached his destination, Mikey swept him from his feet and into the air spinning around with Donnie above his head, cheering for the little guy. Donnie giggled as they spun around, a new development that also recently appeared. It was much better than the silent sobbing that they had become used to.

Now that he could walk, Mikey followed him constantly, very sure that the tot would get into some sort of trouble if he wasn't there watching him like a hawk keeping its eye on a mouse.

The Monday after Donnie could walk, Leo decided to approach Mikey. His brother was following Donnie closely around in the training area, holding his hands out to catch the turtle from falling every time a tatami mat came up. Raph was beating on the sandbag, sweat beading over his body as he pummeled some imaginary foe that took the form of the defenseless sack. Leo walked in, looking immediately to his orange clad brother.

Leo had decided that he needed to tell Mikey to take a step back from the turtle-sitting for a while, concerned about the usually upbeat and happy brother's wellfare. He sighed as Mikey scolded Donnie for picking up some debris on the floor, causing the big brown eyes to glisten with unshed tears as his big brother took away whatever he had in his hands.

"Mikey." Leo said, walking up behind his brother and placing a hand on his shell, "Can I talk to you?" he asked. Mikey looked over his shoulder with an eye ridge raised. He had picked up Donnie and was wiping the tears from his face that had started to steadily stream down.

"Now?" Mikey asked, as if Leo were in the way of his babysitting. Leo held back the urge to roll his eyes.

"Yes now. It's as good a time as any." Leo said calmly. Mikey sighed and sat Donnie down, turning the little body to face the red banded brother. He leaned down until his face was by Donnie's.

"Just stay still and watch your brother, okay?" he told Donnie. Leo was shocked when the little head nodded, saying he understood. He looked at Mikey, wide eyed, as he stood up again.

"Since when could he understand things like that?" Leo asked, curious. Mikey shrugged.

"It's Don, he always was the smartest." he said with a grin, "Besides, I only think he knows to nod when I ask him something." he then nodded towards Donnie, who already was starting to move to Raphael's position. Before Mikey could go after him, Leo grabbed his arm.

"Mikey," he said, trying not lessening his grip as his brother instinctively tried to pull away, "You can't keep being so paranoid like this."

"What are you talking about? I'm not paranoid." Mikey snapped defensively. Now Leo knew something was up. It was not in his little brother's character to get angry so easily, that was in Raph's description. While he had him in his clutch, Leonardo to a moment to get a good look at Mikey. He noticed how bloodshot his eyes were, and the dark circles beneath them.

"Your driving yourself against a wall, you know." he told Mikey, who scoffed at the statement, "You can't-"

Leo never finished his statement. A tiny yelp escaped from across the room, followed by a yell from Raphael.

"Donnie, no!" Leo and Mikey whipped around as Raph yelled at the tiny turtle. Donnie immediately jumped and dropped the sai he was holding. It clattered to the ground, which only startled Donnie more, and he fell backwards to escape the object. Raph wasn't quick enough to catch the falling infant and Donnie's head thumped against the hard floor. The turtle's hand instantly went up to his head, tears springing from his eyes in big globs, whimpers escaping him.

Mikey yanked his arm free of Leo and ran over to scoop up the crying tot. He inspected the tiny dome, finding a knot beginning to form at the back if the head. Mikey glared at Raphael fiercely.

"What the SHELL is wrong with you!?" Mikey shouted at his brother, who only seemed to be taken aback slightly before anger engulfed him.

"Whats wrong wit' me?" Raph began, his voice slowly rising and laden with his Brooklyn accent as he became more enraged, "What's wrong wit' YOU? It ain't like I purposely hurt da' kid!"

"You left you sais on the ground! You know he gets into everything! How could you be so careless!?" Mikey raised his voice even more, some kind of stress that had been trapped inside of him boiling over. "You do this all the time! You left your stupid parts to your bike where he could reach it, you always leave the doors open, and you don't ever even try to take care of him!"

"Shut yer frikin trap, Mikey!" Raph yelled into his little brother's face threateningly. At this point, Leo saw that something was going to happen, and he quickly reached over and snatched Donnie from between them. He wasn't surprised that Mikey hardly even noticed, his brother was too busy screaming at Raphael.

"No! Not until you take some responsibility around here!" Mikey retorted, squaring up with his older brother and staring him down like a wild beast.

"Resp- Fer crying' out loud Mikey!" Raph said as he pushed Mikey away, "You shouldn't know the first thing about that!"

It was then that Leo took a step back. Something in Michelangelo had quite visibly snapped as the turtle roared and barreled into Raphael, knocking the wind out of him as he was forced onto the ground. They rolled on the ground, kicking and punching each other as they wrestled. Normally, Leo would be quick to separate the two, but this time he felt that this was for the best. Maybe Raph could beat some sense into their little brother in a way no one else could.

"What are ya on about responsibility fer, anyway?" Raph asked with a growl as he managed to get Mikey into a headlock from behind. Mikey squirmed and moved his weight forwards suddenly to throw Raph over his shoulders and flat on his carapace in front of him.

"I'm responsible!" Mikey yelled, throwing a punch at Raph's face, which the red turtle just barely caught. Mikey put all his weight down on his arm, bending over so that the two brothers were face to face.

"Resposible fer what?" Raph growled, pushing back on the heavy fist in his palm with everything he had. He looked up to watch as Mikey's face contorted at his question. Something warm hit Raph's face and slid down his cheek.

"For making Don like this..." Mikey began to let the tears fall out as he said this. Raph immediately loosened his muscles, looking up at the waterfall of tears coming towards his face with the sudden sympathy that washed over him. Mikey leaned back quickly, standing up and turning away to wipe his face. The last thing he wanted was for his brothers to tease him for crying.

"Mike..." Raph leaned up on one elbow, wiping his own face with one hand, calming down enough to even his tone, "You know no one blames you for this." Mikey just shook his head, still facing away from them. "Mikey... Ugh... Man don't do this to me again!" Raphael sighed as he sat up. Leo shared a sideways glance with him before the red banded turtle continued, "You ain't been yourself, Mikey."

"What?" Mikey said, turning around as if that was the last thing he was expecting to hear.

"Your so BORING!" Raph forced out, receiving wide eyed stares from both brothers, "Its like your an old nanny or somethin'! Your so tight as-"

"Language!" Mikey interrupted quickly, motioning towards Donnie.

"SEE!?" he shouted, "That's exactly what I mean! Sure, I'd expect this kind of stuff from Leo, no offense." he said to his blue masked brother.

"Some taken." Leo replied, then nodded for his brother to continue. This conversation seemed to be going in a good direction.

"Listen, bro. All I'm saying is that I'd rather have the annoying, fun loving, dorky you around than one that does nothing but worry an' yell an' get mad all the time. That's my job." he sighed, scrubbing his hands over his face as if he was exhausted from trying to be sentimental, "I'll help out more with Donnie, if you'd let me!"

"If you'd let us." Leo added, deciding it was a good time to enter the conversation, "You've been working yourself too hard all by yourself, Mike. This is something Master Splinter said we ALL have to do." he broke his statement momentarily with a grin, "We're your brothers, let us help you."

Mikey stood still, his eyes falling to the floor. The four waited in silence for a few moments, the only occasional sound coming from the hiccuping Donnie, who had just stopped crying and was turned around in Leo's arms to stare at Mikey. Leo watched with slight relief as his brother's shoulders sagged slightly in defeat.

"Come on, bro. We really want to help." Leo coaxed. Donnie stared up at him, then followed his gaze to Mikey.

"Buh?" the little turtle made the noise hesitantly. "Bro?" Mikey head snapped up to Donnie, as did the other's. It went silent again, and the tot looked confusingly at his brothers. Raphael's cackle was what broke the silence.

"See?" he laughed, "Now you have Donnie worried about you... BRO!" Raph started laughing again, falling into a fit. Mikey smiled. It was a real, genuine smile. Leo thought it might have been the first real one he'd seen on his brother's face since Donatello's accident. Leo walked over to Mikey, Donnie holding out his arms to him as he did so.

"Bro!" Donnie called, curving his mouth upwards into a goofy smile with his gums showing. The expression caused Raph to laugh even harder as he rolled over on his side. Mikey chuckled as he took the infant from Leo.

"Alright, guys." Mikey said, hugging the tiny body close to his, "I guess you can have some time with Donnie."

"Oh, no!" Leo said jokingly, "Your going to share him equally with us! It's not fair if he only has a name for you!"

Mikey smiled again, then snuggled his face into Donnie and mumbled something. Donnie just giggled, placing his tiny hands in Mikey's fore head and pushing him away. Mikey looked up and pointed towards Leo and mumbled into Donnie's ear. This time the tot looked at Leo curiously, a placid expression coming over his features. This was a trait they had all come to recognize as Don's thinking face. Apparently this trait still showed itself in little Donnie. He looked from Mikey, back to Leo. Mikey nodded with a smile.

"Go on! Say it." he told Donnie.

"An. Ani'i?" the little turtle formed the sounds. Leo understood instantly what he was trying to say.

"Aniki?" Leo asked the child, who beamed up at him with pride. Leo looked at Mikey quizzically. His brother just shrugged with a grin. Raph spurt out another strain of laughter and stood up, coming over to his brothers.

"I think you miss the 'k' in Aniki, Donnie." he smiled, patting the child on the head. "So what's he gonna call me then?" At this, Leo and Mikey smiled, just as they had in the kitchen that one night when he was trying to comfort them. He shuddered, regretting asking the question.

"Seeing how loving and caring you are, big brother." Mikey started, batting his eyes at Raphael, "There's only one name for you!" Leo and Mikey exchanged a glance. Raphael knew what was coming next.

"Oh, no! Do not teach him tha-"

"SOFT SHELL!" The two brothers chimed at once, interrupting Raph. He lunged for Mikey, so Leo grabbed Donnie once again. The two wrestled around once more, playfully this time. Leo grinned, glad that they seemed to have their little brother back to normal already. Mikey was pretty easy to handle, if you knew how to approach it. Leo knew that they hadn't discussed the underlying problem Mikey was dealing with, but this would help to heal the wound in his heart. He looked down as Donnie tugged on his belt.

"Ani'i?" he asked, looking up at him with those round mohagany eyes. Leo chuckled and crouched low, setting Donnie on his knees. He pointed at Raph, who currently was forcing Mikey down with one hand forced behind the orange turtle's back, telling him to say uncle.

"See him?" he asked, receiving a little nod from the tiny turtle, "That's Nii-chan. Nii-chan?" he repeated the word for emphasis.

"Nicha?" Donnie replied hesitantly, looking at Leo for reassurance that what he said was correct. Leo smiled, and was happy to see it returned with that toothless grin.

Something clicked in Leo's heart that instant. He stared at that tiny face for a moment, trying to figure out what had stirred him. It was as if something was cleared away like a fog being lifted, but he still couldn't see what it was.

It would take him a while longer to realize that he was feeling fatherly affection towards the tiny terrapin.


	5. Tension

**Alright! Another chapter up! This one is about 1,000 words longer than my last one, so it took a bit longer. Oh, and thanks for all of the reviews, alerts and faces guys! I appreciate it! :)**

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Raphael stomped into the lair from the garage. Grease and soot covered his face as if he had been in an explosion you would see n a cartoon. He held a rag in his hands that long since been white, wiping off his blackened hands that looked equally as messy as his face. Behind him tagged along little Donnie who, compared to his brother, was clean as a whistle, only his hands had a bit of black smudges on them. The toddler guiltily looked at the floor as he sullenly trudged into the bathroom behind his red bandana wearing brother.

This sight was a bit humorous for Leonardo, who had come to see what was going on when he had heard a loud booming coming from the garage. He could only speculate as to what the curious unmasked little turtle had gotten into this time.

Ever since they decided to split the work load with Mikey, Leo and Raph learned just why their younger brother was so anxious over keeping Donnie under close watch and giving him constant attention. In the evenings when Leo took care of Donnie, he would ask many questions about the different books they read every night before bed. In the morning when Mikey had him, Donnie seemed to be quietly pondering what he had learned the night before. Then in the afternoons with Raph, when he was wide awake and curious, he would let loose all of the ideas that had been running through his head and get into mischief.

"Onii-chan..." Leo heard the small voice come from the open bathroom. He could also hear running water from the room and guessed that Raph was cleaning up.

"What Squirt?" Came the gruff voice that belonged to his immediate younger brother.

"Nii-chan... I very sorry." Leo crept closer to the bathroom, he didn't want to miss any of the 'tender' moments Raph had been having of late. It was just too funny to hear his temperamental little brother say the gentle, kind words he had been using lately. Not that Leonardo didn't approve. He wanted Raph to be more caring and sympathetic, especially since they were all having a hard time dealing with Donatello's newest form. He just liked to tease Raph and get some leverage on him the next time they argued.

Leo peeked around the corner. Raph was standing over the sink with his worn dishcloth, looking into the mirror as he wiped away black grime from his cheeks. Donnie was standing adjacent to Raph, looking up with big sad eyes. There were no tears in them though, all that was on the face was an adorable, innocent, and pitiful expression that was begging for forgiveness. Leo rolled his eyes at the new trick this little turtle had learned.

Since some of the responsibility had been taken off Mikey's back, the turtle had been nothing short of a bad influence on Donnie. In the mornings, if Donnie did something worth scolding, Mikey had 'taught' him how to apologize. Donnie really was just too stubborn to say he was sorry, so Mikey showed him a few tips on how to look like your sorry without actually feeling the regret. Something they had all learned to ignore in Mikey, who wasn't as cute as he thought he was.

But that didn't apply when it came to Donnie. The tot now looked to be about three years old. He walked and ran excellently, and learned to speak in full sentences in the week since his first words. And lord behold, he was cute. His tiny lip quivered as he now looked up at Raph, who wasn't responding to Donnie's pleas for forgiveness. Donnie wrapped his tiny olive green arms around the larger turtle's calf, slightly looking up with his bright eyes.

"Raph-Ni?" Donnie whimpered, "I so, so sorry. I no mean oo."

"Not meant to what, Squirt?" Raph grumbled, looking down at the tiny turtle, who seemed a little shocked at the question, "What are you sorry for?" At the question, Donnie shrunk away, turning his face away in real displeasure this time. Raph sighed and kneeled beside the toddler, having finished removing most of the smudges off his face and moving to clean off Donnie's dirty hands. "Don't ever say your sorry if you don't mean it, Donnie. It hurts my feelings."

Leo smiled. Lately, Raph had gotten used to calling Donnie 'squirt' or 'kiddo', so hearing him use the endearing nickname gave some comfort to Leo in knowing his brother was striving to cope with Donatello's situation. His smile grew as Donnie nodded his little head, a real tear silently dropping down his cheek, a sure sign that the turtle was actually sorry. He felt a little pride in Raphael for acting like such a good brother and teaching Donnie an important lesson.

"I sorry Nii-chan. For making you 'splode." Donnie admitted humbly, looking back at Raph with a sniff, "An' for hur'in your feelings."

Raphael chuckled and let go of the small hands, patting his miniature brother on the head.

"It's fine, kiddo, as long as you mean it. And you really need to be working on those 't' sounds." Raph straightened up, smiling at Donnie once more before he looked towards the door, "Ain't that right, Leo?"

Leo sighed as he stepped out from his hidden place around the door frame with a grin.

"Just checking on you guys!" he told the two, stepping into the restroom and scooping up Donnie, who wiped his eyes and squealed in delight as he was spun around.

"Yeah, right. More like spying." Raph scoffed, poking Donnie in the forehead as they stopped spinning, receiving a giggle from the small turtle.

Leo was about to make a retort when suddenly Mikey appeared at the door, trying to squeeze into the already crowded bathroom. He smushed himself between Raph and Leo, who was still holding Donnie. Raph let out an irritated grunt as he was shoved against the sink. Leo laughed as Mikey tried to say something to him excitedly and was cut off from a slap to the back of the head by Raph.

"Ow! Hey, Raph, I'm trying to say something important here!" Mikey said, turning around and squashing Leo and Donnie into the wall. I mediately Donnie began to wriggle to get out of Leo's clutches, but the eldest turtle did not have space to put the tot down, and now Mikey and Raph were blocking his exit so he just held on tighter to the olive green tot.

"Quit squirming Donnie, I will put you down in-" Leo began. Suddenly Raph shoved Mikey (playfully of course), into Donnie and Leo again, cutting Leo off with the force of Mikey's shell hitting him.

"Doofus! Take a chill pill! You ain't gotta cram yourself in here, you could'a waited outside!" Raph grumbled at his younger brother.

Donnie began kicking now, and Leo put one hand on his head in hopes to calm him, but was focused on Mikey and Raph. Mikey started arguing with Raph for calling him a doofus, and Raphael was instant that he was, so Leo tried talking his brothers down.

"Bros! Hey! We got a message from Leatherhead!" Mikey suddenly burst out, as if remembering what he came for in the first place. Leo and Raph went still, staring at their otouto for a moment in disbelief. Raph reached out and grabbed Mikey's shoulders, shaking him and bumping him into Leo once more.

"Well? What did he-"

"AAAANIIIIIKIIIIIII!" Donnie abruptly screamed at the top of his lungs, startling the other three so much that they all literally jumped. They had never heard this little Donnie speak in anything louder than his inside voice, so the scream alarmed them instantly. Leo looked down quickly at Donnie.

He hadn't noticed that the turtle's squirming had turned into a violent thrashing as the brothers had been talking. The little turtle had screamed as if he was scared, but he wasn't crying as Leonardo thought he might be. Instead there was a look of pure terror in the child's features, his eyes wide with fright and sweat beading on his face. He had also started breathing heavily and his body was trembling. Panic seized Leo instantly.

"Move!" Leo ordered his brothers with such force that all they did was nod and step out of the way. A strange feeling developed in his chest, as if something was clutching his heart every time he felt Donnie kick or punch against his plastron. He rushed out to the living room, shushing Donnie and rubbing his scalp along the way. When he got to the couch he relaxed his grip on Donnie to set him down and settle him. As soon as he loosened up though, the mask less little turtle sprung from his grasp, landing with a bounce on the couch.

"Donnie, hey, calm down!" he told his frightened little brother, reaching out to comfort him with a touch. Much to Leo's surprise, Donnie slapped away the hand and scrambled to the far side of the couch, where he curled into a ball against the arm and hid his face in his knees, no doubt beginning to cry silently into them.

Michelangelo and Raphael came up beside Leonardo, who was crouching by the couch and staring with concern at Donnie.

"What happened?" Mikey asked, not masking the worry in his voice.

"I think," Leo began, taking his eyes away from Donnie, "that he got scared because he was feeling cramped in the bathroom." he watched as Mikey just blinked the big blue eyes behind his orange mask in surprise.

"So he's claustrophobic?" Raph asked, looking much more grim than he had only moments ago. He had stated the question as if it was an accusation. Leo took into account the dark shadow that hung over his brother's face when he spoke. He knew what his brother was thinking.

Don never had such a phobia before.

The thought seemed to darken Leo's mood too as several other ideas came to his mind. Why was this Donnie different from the old one? Would they ever get their brother back to the way he was? What if they never did, and this Donnie...

Leo refused to finish the thought. He just couldn't bring himself to think about losing his kind and sympathetic little brother. Something else bugged him too, just like it had when he had taught the little turtle to call Raph 'Nii-chan'. He still couldn't label the emotion, so he buried it for the moment, focusing on the problem at hand.

"Donnie, come on, it's okay." Leo calmly said as he turned back to the trembling terrapin on the sectional. He watched in dismay as Donnie shook his head and shot up, scrambling over the arm rest and landing on the floor with a thud. Leo ignored the frightened gasp that came from Mikey, knowing his brother was probably worried about Donnie hurting himself. Leo stood and padded around the couch, followed by Mikey, to check on the turtle. But Donnie quickly got to his feet and took off for the staircase, where Master Splinter was coming down from his midday meditation.

Donnie took a flying leap at Splinter, who didn't even bat an eye as he caught the flailing turtle gracefully. He hauled Donnie up to his shoulder, where the tiny turtle buried his face in the brown fabric of Splinter's yukata, squeezing his arms around the rat's neck. Their sensei looked up at the others, giving them a suspicious glance as he pat Donnie's shell to comfort him. Leo shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, and Splinter replied with a nod. The three turtles looked on at the shaking tot in their father's arms for quite a few moments in a gloomy sort of way.

"My son, have you told your brothers of April's findings?" Splinter asked, moving his three son's attention elsewhere. The question was directed at Mikey.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah!" Mikey said, blinking away the worry that was in his eyes and excitedly turning to his brothers, "April found a signal from Leatherhead's lair as soon as the power came back on!" Raph crossed his arms angrily, glaring at Mikey.

"Seriously. That's important information Mikey." he glowered, "You couldn't have just spit it out?"

"Well SOR-RY!" Mikey said sarcastically, rolling his eyes and sticking his tongue out. Raph quickly raised a fist aimed at Mikey's face, causing Mikey to flinch and shut his eyes tight with an "Eep!"

"Mikey, Raph, focus." Leo said to his brothers abruptly, "What was the message about Mikey?"

"Well it wasn't really a message..." Mikey said, scratching the back of his head.

"It was a distress signal." April commented as she walked into the living room from the lab, "And it was sent out three weeks ago from his lair." She walked over to the three turtles, showing them a small, black rectangular device that had a large screen and four buttons shaped like arrows at the bottom. On the screen that shone green, there was a red dot that seemed to be pulsating, and a blue dot on the far edge of the screen.

"The red circle is Leatherhead's signal from his lair. The blue one is us. I charged this device that Leatherhead and Donatello had set up to contact each other when there was trouble." she turned the device so that she could see the screen, looking at it worriedly, "I tried calling him again, but I've had no luck getting through."

Leo nodded, knowing immediately what to do.

"Master Splinter, can you watch Donnie for a while?" he asked his sensei, who nodded as if knowing where Leonardo was going with this, "April I need you to monitor our location in case we get into trouble. We're going to see what's up."

"About time!" Raphael grumbled, "We should'a gone as soon as Don turned into a brat!" Leo shot a glare over at his brother, who didn't even notice because he was storming off towards the sewers already. Leo sighed and walked over to Donnie. He pat the back of the head gently, causing the little turtle to look up at him.

"Aniki, you go bye?" Donnie asked, a tear escaping from one eye. Leo wiped it away, smiling gently.

"Aniki, Nii-chan and Bro are just going to find an old friend." he assured the little turtle, "I promise we will be back soon. But you have to stay here and protect April, okay?" he heard an irritated huff come from the red head. Donnie looked at Leo, his face going placid as he went into thinking mode. After a few moments, he nodded as if in agreement, but reached out to grab Leo's hand.

"Aniki!" was all Donnie got out before the tears really started pouring down. There was another tug at Leo's heart, and he bent over slightly to place his forehead on the smaller one.

"We will be back, I promise."

* * *

Leatherhead's lair wasn't even three miles from the turtle's. Topside, it might take them ten minutes to reach the carnivorous reptile's home. That's why they normally moved at night. Not only did it hide their presence from the humans, it was quicker too. As Leonardo led his brothers quickly through the maze of tunnels leading to Leatherhead's home, he scolded himself for wanting to leave so early in the evening, being impatient at their friend's signal for help. They had already been traveling for twenty minutes, and were just barely halfway there.

During this time all three turtles were quiet, and Leo began to dwell how he felt about Donatello. In the month they had spent with the young Donnie, Leo had come to realize once again how desperately they needed their levelheaded brother. Even though the presence of little Donnie helped, there was still a building tension in the lair that kept growing with each passing day.

Mikey had laid off on the paranoid attitude he had developed somewhat, but anyone could tell that Mikey was still obsessed with keeping his, now younger, brother safe. He always checked in to see if Raph and Leo were handling everything alright, and still scolded them if he caught them being rough with the toddler.

Leo could tell that Raph was having a hard time accepting the fact that Donnie was still himself, just younger. Part of the evidence lay in the turtle's reluctance to call Donnie by his nickname. He also was usually very short with the tiny terrapin, though he showed restraint by never losing his temper with him. Even though Raph had suggested sharing the workload of caring for Donnie himself, it was awkward to watch the two interact. It was as if Raphael blocked Donnie from getting to close to Raph's real feelings.

And Leo wasn't sure how he felt about this new Donnie at all. Sometimes he really just wanted to talk to his brother, like they used to. He wanted to ask for advice from Don, hear him explain the amazing new inventions he was always trying to impress them with, he just wanted to know that Don had his back. During those times, he could care less about little Donnie. All he would want is for the grown Donatello to be where that frail, defenseless miniature form stood.

Other times he would have that cringing feeling in his heart. During those times he wanted to scoop the small turtle up and protect him from everything. To never let anyone steal the innocent smile that looked up to him, to show Donnie the world and watch him discover everything with that intense curiosity of his. And the thought of never seeing that innocent child again scared Leo. He shivered as he realized this. But still, it didn't make sense to him. Donatello is Donatello. It's not like things would change even if Donnie reverted back to his normal state. But wouldn't that mean that if they let things go on as they were now, Donnie would be the same?

Leonardo shook his head of the confusing thoughts. This wasn't the right time for such things. He turned his attention to his brothers behind him.

Even though each turtle had been silently lost in his own thoughts, Leo knew Mikey could not last much longer in the quietness. And he was right. As they all leaped across a rushing expanse of water and turned sharply around into a separate tunnel, Mikey started talking.

"So Raphie." he began, gaining an irritated groan from the red masked turtle that became annoyed at the very sound of the orange one's voice, "How did your face end up all black earlier?" Leo slowed his pace a little to fall back and listen when he heard the question. It was something he had been wondering as well.

"That Squirt." Raph grumbled, as they all jumped over a large pipe that blocked their path, "I went to start the engine in the Battle Shell, but it wouldn't turn over. I checked everythin', tinkered around, and eventually it started, but it wouldn't move. I put it in neutral and showed Donnie how ta press the gas pedal with his hands. When I went ta go check the exhaust pipe, he revved the engine." Raph rubbed his hand over his face, as if exasperated from the memory, "Somethin' shot out of it, an' I jus' barely moved outta the way so I didn't get hit. But the smoke and grease from the exhaust shot me in the face."

Mikey looked at him very seriously and wide eyed.

"What shot out of it?" he asked his older brother. Raph rolled his eyes, obviously remembering something unpleasant.

"A potato."

"What?"

"That little punk shoved a potato way up into the exhaust, and it exploded outta there as I was checking it." Raph explained quickly, very clearly trying to end the conversation with his abrupt tone. But both Leo and Mikey found this funny. They both had to stop in there tracks as they began to hake with laughter, Mikey so hard that he was doubled over.

"An' just what the shell is so funny about that?" Raph grumbled, stopping a few feet away from his brothers, "He could have killed me! Or the Battle Shell!" This statement, along with the way Raph apparently was unamused, only caused the other two to start laughing even more.

"L-Leo!" Mikey stuttered, wiping a tear from his eye and still giggling, "Tell him w-what story you read Donnie last night!" Leo grinned at Mikey, then looked towards Raph who had his arms crossed, waiting for an explanation.

"We read a book called 'The Enormous Potato' last night." Leo explained, still smiling widely, "He kept asking me where they would keep a giant potato. Donnie must have wanted to see where he could fit them. I found one in the cereal box this morning."

"I found one in the toilet!" Mikey chimed in, overcoming his laughing fit. At that, Raph cracked a smile. It quickly returned to a frown though and he pointed at his brothers accusingly.

"Lately I feel as if I'm some sort of entertainment to you two." he said gruffly. Leo looked at Mikey, who smiled back with a wink. Mikey stood up straight and marched over to Raph, throwing an arm over his brother's shoulder.

"It's okay, Aniki!" Mikey smiled as Raph suspiciously pulled away from him, "You can't help but make a fool out of yourself sometimes!" Raph grimaced at that and twisted Mikey's arms around, making Mikey yelp in pain.

Click.

"Oh yeah, punk!?" Raph roared, pulling his brother into a headlock. Leo laughed at them both, walking over to attempt to separate the two.

Click.

This time, Leo heard the quiet sound. He quickly froze on the spot, drawing out his twin katana. The metal sound of the swords being pulled from their sheaths instantly alerted his younger brothers. They stopped quarreling, immediately pulling their weapons out and taking defensive stances by Leo.

Click. Click.

"Sounds like a camera." Mikey commented, peering into the darkness to their left.

"Or someone pulling back on the hammer of a pistol." Raph said darkly, gripping his sais that were in both hands as he covered Leo's right.

Click.

This time, the clicking sound was louder, and along with it came a beam of yellow light that was heading straight for Leo. He flipped backwards to avoid the laser fire, pushing off the wall behind him and lunging straight into the direction they were fired at from. He sliced downwards as he spotted a silvery glint, cutting a small robot creature in half. He inspected the device that lay in shambles before him.

It had a cylindrical body with some sort of dome attached to its top, both ends having holes in them that Leo assumed the laser had come from. Four little metal legs had been attached to the body, and Leo watched as they twitched as if its nerves were being pulled. He noticed a familiar symbol on the side of the metal body, but couldn't quite place where he had seen it before the noises came.

Click.

Click. Click.

Click, click, clickclickclickclickclickclick.

"Guys! Run!" Leo shouted as lasers rained down on them from every direction. He used his katana to deflect the energy beams away from him, dashing down the tunnel he was currently in. His brothers caught up to him, riding his heels as they ran towards Leatherhead's hideout. He had no time to worry about revealing the location of where they were going. The multitude of small robots were chasing them relentlessly through the twists and turns of the sewers, all the while making clicking noises and tapping their metal legs against the concrete as they scurried along in pursuit.

"It's just up ahead!" Leo shouted to his brothers, who were ducking and jumping out of the way of laser beams that continually were fired at them. He looked ahead to the wall that they were nearing. Like their old lair, there were a series of hidden pipes that they had to pull in a certain sequence to open the secret passage that lead into Leatherhead's home.

"Mikey, open the door! Raph and I will cover you." Leo ordered the brother that was the quickest in his feet. Mikey nodded and sprinted ahead. Leo and Raph turned and slid to a halt, slicing and piercing the nearest robotic creatures as they aimed their guns at the turtles. Leo noticed that before they fired, the small dome would pop up slightly, making a clicking sound, and then push down suddenly as it fired. He used this to time his attacks, cutting through each device as it clicked or moved its dome.

He called out to his brother as several of the machines clicked at once near the other terrapin. Without thinking, Leo bounced off of a wall and slammed himself into Raphael, throwing his brother offside. Leo hissed in pain as a laser hit him in the shoulder, followed by several other shots fired into his back and plastron. His body stung all over for a moment, causing him to cry out. Then it was replaced with a tingling feeling, similar to the kind he got when his hand would fall asleep from gripping hi katana too tightly. That grip was now loosening as he lurched forward, suddenly unable to stand.

The last thing he heard was his name being called out before the world around him faded to black.


	6. The Note

**Okay, so I had a little writer's block with this chapter, but I got over it with a little help from my Swedish House Mafia CD, lol. It's still the shortest chapter so far. Eh, oh well.**

**Oh, and mild language towards the end. FYI**

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"Leo!" Mikey screeched as his brother fell hard onto the concrete, still being pummeled with lasers. He had just finished pulling the pipes in order to open Leatherhead's door, and the wall was swinging inward's to the crocodile's home. But now Mikey moved away from Leatherhead's lair, lunging forwards to aid his older brother. Twirling his nunchaku, Mikey batted off several of the creepy robot things as they crawled over Leo's shell.

"Mikey!" Raphael's voice came from behind. A sai whizzed past his head, penetrating one of the mechanical creatures as it took aim at Mikey from the wall just ahead of him. His brother ran past him, kicking the armed robots away as he grabbed his sai. Raph whipped around to face Mikey.

"Let's get Leo outta here, into the lair!" he demanded. All Mikey could do was nod and grab Leo under his arms, dragging the heavy turtle backwards into the darkened room he had opened. Raph covered him as he went, stabbing robots every time they locked onto their targets.

"Geez, Leo! You chunker!" Mikey grunted as he pulled his heavy brother into the safety of Leatherhead's home. Raph ran in behind him. Mikey carefully set Leo down before dashing over to a button on the inside wall beside the open passage. He slammed his palm into it, and took out his nunchaku once again as several robots crawled through the doorway before it could close once more. Once they did, Mikey yelped because there was no light on inside the room, except from the bright lasers being fired at them from the depths of black.

"Mikey, we need some light!" came Raph's voice from behind. Mikey looked around wildly, dodging the laser beams as they came at him. He sidestepped, and suddenly lost his footing, finding himself tumbling down what felt like a short flight of stairs. He groaned in pain as his head thumped against cold concrete. He blinked away moisture from his eyes as he stared up into the darkness. Thats when he noticed a circle of red light, small and barely noticeable, blinking a few feet away from him at his level. Mikey flipped over just in time to dodge another shot at him from a robot. He rolled until he reached where the red light was.

From a closer distance, he could tell it was a button, just waiting to be pushed.

"I hope this is the light switch!" Mikey pleaded as he slapped the tiny button.

Fear rose up in Mikey as nothing happened for the first few seconds after the button was pushed, wild fantasies of dying in the dark, being torn apart by little metal robot, and getting shot over and over again filling his thoughts. They were interrupted, though, by a loud buzz that suddenly filled the air, making Mikey jump. Above him, the incandescent glow of three television screens came on. All of them showed different angles of or around Leatherhead's lair. But Mikey paid no attention to what was on the monitors. He was just grateful for the light they shed.

There were not as many robots in Leatherhead's home as Mikey had anticipated. Three were crawling down the steps Mikey had tripped over, suddenly leaping and landing on some metal lab tables a few feet away. Mikey shrieked and rolled forwards back to the steps when they began firing at him. Quickly, Mikey got to his feet and whipped out his nunchaku, smashing one of the robots with the chukon-bu.

He spun it around to smack the other two away and leapt backwards up the stairs where he had laid Leo.

Mikey quickly looked over to his brother, who was standing between a large cot and television stand. Raph had already impaled the two robots that had been chasing him and was currently pulling one off of his sai.

"Dang bug robot got oil all over da' manouchi..." Mikey heard his brother mumble as he wiped the shaft if his sai off on his belt. Mikey flipped his chuck at one of the two remaining robots as it sprung up at him, sending it flying into a wall where it shattered with the impact.

"Where's the last..." Mikey trailed off as he heard a click behind him. He twisted around without thinking and pulled a kunai out that was strapped into his belt, sending it flying with lethal accuracy into the barrel of the remaining robot as it took aim at his unconscious brother. The mechanical creature backed up a few steps, twitching, before it stopped moving and fell sideways.

Mikey's adrenaline pumped through his veins for a few more seconds before he finally came down, panting and sweating from running through the tunnels and dragging his Aniki around. With the thought of Leo, Mikey's attention was turned to the incapacitated turtle. He knelt down beside him, checking his over for any wounds with shaking hands. He found none. Not even a single scratch, well, at least not from the robot lasers with legs. Leo was breathing normally, and when Mikey checked his pulse, it was only a little faster than normal. The orange masked turtle couldn't help but to breath out a sigh in relief, though his shaking continued. Mikey flinched when he felt a cold hand on his shoulder.

"Let's get 'im inta bed." Raph said as Mikey looked up at him. Any of the brothers could tell what Raph was feeling usually with just one look at his face, but right now Raphael had an expression that was unreadable, glazed over. It startled Mikey, but he managed to nod and together the brothers lifted Leo over to the cot.

"Do... Do you think he's gonna be okay?" Mikey asked hesitantly as he stepped back and watched Raph cover Leo's still form with a throw. Once again, his imagination was getting out of hand. Mikey kept thinking about Donatello lying on the cot back at the lair, and not knowing if their brother was going to make it through the next few hours. What would happen if their Aniki was dying? What if Leo turned into a kid? Or worse, what if Leo never woke up?

"Mikey, chill." Mikey was pulled from his dreadful thoughts as his big brother's voice grounded him. Raph once more had a hand on the younger turtle's shoulder, and Mikey suddenly realized that his shaking had become intensified. "He'll be fine." Raph assured, "Jus' take a deep breath and calm down."

"B-but what if he... He's not waking up! Don-"

"Look! Mikey, he's not like Don was." Raph now had both hands on Mikey's shoulders and shook him gently, "Don was far worse off. Leo was jus' stunned by those things or somethin'."

"Really?"

"Really."

Mikey looked over at Leo, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully. He closed his eyes and shakily took in a breath, letting it escape slowly. Raph's hands slid away from Mikey, and the younger turtle looked at the older thankfully.

"So what were those things?" Mikey asked Raph as the red banded turtle walked over to a loght switch by the doors that they had failed to notice earlier.

He flicked on the bright fluorescent lights above, giving life to the dark corners of the large room that the light from the screens had not been able to reach. Below the monitors was a curbed station full of buttons and switches, a rolling desk chair in front of it. Several other computers as well as a large chemistry set were on the far side of the room, where a refrigerator and sink had been installed outside of the restroom Donatello had helped Leatherhead add into the room. Besides the tv stand and bed, a large dark yellow couch sat nearby, a deep impression in the middle that had no doubt been permanently indented there from the heavy reptile that lived here sitting in the middle of it.

"I dunno." Raph growled in reply, his glazed expression falling into a familiar enraged one, "But by the looks of the markin's on the side of them things, they was sent by Bishop." Mikey froze at the name, a shiver running through his system. He looked at Raphael wide eyed as his brother took a seat at the couch, sliding into where the couch was caved in.

"Why?"

"Dunno, Mikey." Raph said sarcastically, "Maybe to catch us and cut us up inta little tiny-"

"RAPH!" Mikey cried as he covered his ears, willing the horrible images beginning to form in his head to disappear. Raph just shook his head, clicking his tongue.

"What ya wanna bet that our pal's 'business' he had ta get ta last month was with that freak?" the turtle on the couch asked.

"Leatherhead and Bishop?" Mikey questioned, lowering his hands, "But Leatherhead hates that guy."

"Yeah, but if Leatherhead an I have the same definition of 'business'," Raph interjected, "It means revenge."

Mikey couldn't argue with that logic, if that's what you would call it. An angry Raphael was a lot like an angry Leatherhead. And if Bishop's robots had been running around Leatherhead's home for a while, the crocodile was certain to be enraged with thoughts of the devilish man that had once held him captive and tortured him. Mikey's mind wandered, not wanting to focus on the fact that if Leatherhead had gone after Bishop, going missing for a month was not a good sign of the state of the crocodile's well-being.

Mikey gazed up at the monitors that were still on. The left screen showed an image of the inside lair, causing Mikey scanned the ceiling, spotting a security camera with its lens pointed at the door. He looked back to the middle screen, which was showing the view of the door from outside the lair. Mikey was unsupervised to see that the robot that had been chasing them were swarming over the walls and pipes, probably trying to find some way to enter into their current sanctuary. The last screen, on the far right, was of the entry way into the sewers topside. A large rust colored grate with steam pouring out from it was in the middle of the image. It was in a usually dark alleyway, one that the turtles were familiar with since that was how they normally came to Leatherhead's residence under the cover of darkness that the night provided.

He watched the last screen for awhile, knowing that if they were going to escape, they would be taking that route when it got dark, and when Leo woke up.

Mikey sighed and began to wander around the room when he got bored with watching the monitors. He walked over curiously to the chemistry set, drawn to the various colorful and potentially dangerous liquids and powders filling quite a few of the beakers and tubes. he received a terse warning from Raph not to touch anything, and hunched his shoulders as he moved onto the metal table next to it. The robot he had smashed earlier was still atop of it, and many papers with big words and graphs on them had been scattered around from where he had blindly batted off the other two.

A glint of green caught his eye.

Shuffling a few papers out of the way, Mikey discovered the device that was twins with the one April had shown them back at the lair. A red blinking dot, and a still blue one were on the screen.

"Raph!" Mikey called excitedly, picking up the device and waving it in the air. "Raph I found the message thing-" Mikey suddenly stopped short, noticing the yellow post it note attached to the back. His blood ran cold as he read the words scratched onto the paper in red ink, at least Mikey hoped it was ink.

"What is it, Mikey?" Raph asked, walking over to where his younger brother stood.

"Protect Donatello." came the mumbled words from Mikey.

"What?"

"The note. It says, 'protect Donatello'." Mikey repeated, not looking away from the message. Raph reached over and grabbed the device from his brother's grasp, looking over the back quickly. Raph clenched his fist around the machine, anger clouding his features again. He tossed the tracking device away from him and stomped off to where Leo rested, grabbing ahold of his brother's lim right arm and lifting him up over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Mikey asked, bewildered.

"It's almost dark." Raph said, nodding towards the far left monitor, "And we need to get home. Now."

Mikey hesitated for only a moment, but that was enough t make Raphael snap at him.

"Mikey! Get your ass over here and help me!" he ordered, causing the younger turtle to jump and rush to his aid. Mikey wrapped Leo's left arm around his shoulder, supporting part of the weight he and Raph now shared. A garbled groan escaped the unconscious turtle, and Mikey had to smile a little with the relief that flooded him from hearing the sound.

"Come on Leo," Mikey said, shifting the limp terrapin's weight again, "Let's get you home bro."


	7. Lost

**Hello all! Sorry for the late update! This chapter is kind of confusing, so do not be afraid to ask questions! R&R  
**

_**Bold italic- dream/mental speaking.**_

**Bold- Meditative**

* * *

**_Darkness enveloped Leonardo's world as he floated through empty space. The only reason he could tell his eyes were open was because his body was perfectly lit, the only thing visible in the area. Around him was a seemingly endless void of black, surrounding him in all sides so that he could not tell which direction was up. Nausea pricked at Leo's stomach as he floated along, unable to move any part of his body, but able to feel that he was moving, as if he were on a river he could not feel._**

**_"A dream? Why am I asleep?" He spoke slowly, gaining control of his voice. He could not remember falling asleep, much less what he had been doing before. Before he could remember what he was supposed to be doing, gravity shifted and the turtle fell downwards, crashing in a heap against a floor that was invisible to him. After regaining his senses, Leo stood, groaning from the pain that resulted from his fall. "A very realistic dream." he muttered as he wonder why he hadn't woken up from the pain yet. He peered around, trying to get a grasp of his surroundings in the ink-black void._**

**_"Leo." came a voice from behind him. Leo whipped around to face whoever had spoken, but found nothing more than darkness. He reached out with his senses, feeling for a presence. "Leo!" the voice returned once more, and this time the turtle in blue recognized the voice, and he pushed all of his senses into overdrive to search for the presence._**

**_"Donatello?" Leo called out hesitantly. He had no doubt that the voice had come from his brother, but not the one that was currently residing at the lair. And then there he was._**

**_As Leo focused his mind, the nineteen year old Donatello faded in from the darkness. His grown form slowly solidified until it seemed completely tangible. Leo successfully proved this as he ran across the dark area and embraced his brother tightly. Even if this was a dream, it only seemed more realistic to the blue masked turtle as Donatello let out a laugh, pushing Leonardo away gently._**

**_"Leo, Leo! Chill!" Don laughed as he pulled his brother off of him, holding him at arms length and smiling lightly at Leo, "I don't have much time to talk."_**

**_"Don? What do you mean?" Leo asked, a million things he wanted to say or ask his brother at the tip of his tongue, but holding them back at the serious-yet-gentle tone that the people who knew Don had come to recognize._**

**_"I know things have been tough on you guys. I'm sorry that I haven't been there for you." Don started, and held his hand up as Leo opened his mouth in obvious protest, "I have no regrets in keeping Master Splinter's condition from you. I did, but I don't now." Leo looked at his brother quizzically, unable to understand why Donatello was saying these things. Don suddenly looked over his shoulder, as if someone had called for his attention._**

**_"Are you coming back?" Leo asked the question that was buzzing around his mind, trying to draw his brother's attention back to him. Don looked back and shrugged nonchalantly._**

**_"I don't know, Leo. But-" Don was cut of suddenly as his image started to fade in and out, like a bad television signal. _**

**_"Don? Donnie!" Leo yelled, reaching out and trying to grab his brother by the shoulders, only to have his hands slip through the image._**

**_"Leo, listen!" Don called out, looking over his shoulder momentarily beforehand. Leo nodded sharply and focused his mental powers on Don as his purple banded brother continued to fade, "My spirit... Leatherhead! He... Bishop and needs help... Forgive..." his brother's voice flickered in in out, as if he were having horrible cell phone connection. Then suddenly, what was left of his image dissapeared, leaving behind nothing but a purple wisp of smoke where he once stood. Leo stood agape, staring at the cloud of purple as it dissapeared. He suddenly was filled with an overwhelming sense of lost and frantically turned in circles, scanning the dark and straining his hearing for any sign of Donatello. He was just about to cry out the name of his lost brother when the voice returned to him, cutting in and out as it was previously._**

**_"Leo... The new Donatello... My spirit... Lost." was all Leo could catch._**

**_"Don! W-What do you mean?" Leo called out worriedly, the ominous words clutching at his heart. He felt like a stone had taken shelter in his stomach, and all the air in his lungs had been stolen. He desperately wanted to call out, to find his brother, but couldn't find his voice and realized he couldn't breath. The turtle fell to his knees as his strength failed him without warning, clutching at his throat as if he were being strangled by invisible hands. Just as he felt his mind start to fade into unconsciousness, his brother's voice called to him one last time._**

**_"Wake up." _**

* * *

After the last words were spoken, a horrible pain shot through Leo's jaw and up the left side of his face. The familiar sensation of being hit across the face. Instinctively Leo reacted, lunging at his attacker like a lion on its prey. His vision was dark, but he felt the impact as he slammed into whatever had hit him, and crashed to the ground on top of it. Leo could also feel several hands trying to pull him up immediately after the impact. His vision cleared rapidly, and he suddenly heard voices around him, though he was unable to discern what they were saying.

The form currently under him took on the familiar shape of a turtle with a red mask, and Leo tried to speak his name, only to realize he still was not breathing. Scrambling off of his brother, Leo gasped for air, coughing violently after inhaling.

"Easy Leo!" April's voice came from beside him, "You okay pal?"

"That's what ya get for just hauling off and punchin' him!" Mikey was laughing.

"He weren't breathin'!" Raph growled from on the floor next to him, "What was I suppose ta' do? Shake im' gently an' ask im' not ta' die!?"

Leo shook his head from the remaining blurriness as he panted heavily, leaning back on one hand and laying the other against his smooth scalp.

"L-Leatherhead." Was the first thought, rather, memory that ran across Leo's mind. The other's attention snapped to him instantly as he spoke. "Bishop..."

"We know bro," Mikey cut in, "Those freaky robo-bugs had Bishop written all over them! Literally!"

"That's not what I meant. Don said that-" Leo stopped suddenly, remembering the dream he had, "Don! Where is he? Where's-" he started scrambling around to get up, only to lean heavily on the sofa he had jumped off of earlier with the oncoming exhaustion that overwhelmed him.

"Woah, Leo! Hold da' phone!" Raph said as he put his hands on Leo's shoulders and pushed him down into a sitting position on the couch, "Donnie's fine! He's sleepin' right now." The blue masked turtle just shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He could feel his Qi was way out of whack, and his thoughts were muddled. He had to get things straight before he could figure out what was going on with his mind.

"Why are we back at the lair?" Leo grumbled, rubbing his eyes to relieve the remaining blurriness from them. His brothers exchanged a nervous glance before looking back at their interrogator.

"Well, Leo..." Mikey started hesitantly, "You kinda got zapped by the bugs, and well... Sorta, kinda... Passed out." The orange banded turtle's mouth bent upwards into a crooked smile, "When we carried ya' home, Raph dropped ya' to go after some Purple Dragons that were nearby," (at this, Leo remembered floating in his dream, then suddenly falling, and wondered if this was the cause,) "He thought you stopped breathing cuz of him!" Instantly, Raph puffed out his chest indignantly, crossing his arms and glaring at Mikey.

"Ey! After that note we found, I wasn't gonna let anythin' slip by, even if-" Raph started, only to halt suddenly when he caught the concerned look Leo gave him.

"What note?" Leo asked, glancing back and forth between his brothers, who once again shared a glance, confirming Leo's suspicion of them still not telling him everything. For a long few seconds, Raph and Mikey stared at each other, as if willing the other to speak first. As Mikey rolled his eyes, crossed his arms, and started whistling absently, Raph sighed angrily. The red masked turtle turned to his older brother.

"Okay Leo, don't freak out." Raph raised his hands and motioned for his brother to remain seated, which did not help Leo to not want to 'freak out' at all, "We found a note in Leatherhead's lair. It said ta protect Donnie, and was..."

"What?"

"Well, the note was sorta written in blood." Raph finished quickly, then looked away as if he was disgusted and growled the next words, "We figured Bishop must'a gotta hold of im'."

Leo took in all that he had heard for a moment, letting his brain process and organize the information. Once he finally put all the pieces he could find together, Leo sighed and rest an elbow on the arm of the couch, leaning on it and pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers and squeezing his eyes shut at the sensation of a headache coming on.

"Bishop is still holding him, for sure." Leo sighed, his eyes still shut, "And he needs our help, as soon as possible, especially if Bishop has him." Leo sighed again, and could feel the nervous glances the others were giving each other at his strange behavior.

"You sure you're feeling alright, Leo?" April asked, pressing her palm against his forehead. Leo looked at her through the eyeholes in his mask, shaking his head slightly.

"I... I'm going to meditate for a bit." he said, standing up suddenly. He looked towards Donatello's room, where the tot had been laid to sleep, "I think I can find Leatherhead's location if I concentrate on his spirit, but I need to be in Donnie's room." Now Leo was finding himself the object of even more concerned stares. He shook his head once more and sighed, something he had been doing a lot in the past few minutes.

"Just... Trust me guys, I will explain everything once I figure it all out." he mumbled as he turned his back to his family, heading into Donnie's room. He didn't even catch Mikey's loud quip about him 'being the one that doesn't know anything since he was knocked out' as he closed the door behind him, or the worried murmuring that followed.

For a while, the blue clad turtle rest his shell against the door, gazing into the corner of the room where the cot was dimly lit by a small nightlight casting an orange glow over the bed. The room was completely still aside from the slight rise and fall of the bunched up covers that had suspiciously gravitated to the center of the bed. Without a sound, Leo walked on the balls of his feet to the edge of the cot, stepping into the glow of the light and casting a shadow over the balled dark purple comforter and up the wall. He silently stared at the tiny, rounded olive green object that was protruding from the covers nearest to him.

Leo tilted his head slightly, trying to identify the foreign body part as a knee or an elbow. He could not tell the difference really. With Donnie growing so fast, the tiny terrapin always seemed to be hungry, and there was never enough food. He was turning out to be a little lanky, and was certainty going to be tall. Leo cringed at the thought. Formerly, his brother had been well built and been the same height as Leo, with Raph and Mikey being a tad shorter.

"My spirit... Lost."

Leo shivered at the memory of his brother's words as they chorused and echoed in his mind.

Don can't be gone. Leo thought, He just can't. He's right here! We can get Letherhead back and find a way to return him to normal. My brother isn't gone. He's not lost. He is right in front of me... Right?

"Aniki?"

The older turtle's heart stopped at the sound of the younger's voice. Leo looked down at the child, whose eyes were wide and glistening with unshed tears. Donnie was still mostly enveloped in the purple covers, but now had one arm and his head poking out of them furthest from him, and a foot had replaced the round object from before, assuring Leo that it was a knee he had been speculating. It was at the sight of the large brown eyes brimming with moisture that made Leo realize he had been staring off into space and had started shaking violently.

"H-hey buddy." Leo managed to say after taking a shaky breath in. His voice seemed to be a signal for Donnie to move, for the little turtle scrambled out from under the covers and take a flying leap at Leo, who barely managed to catch the tiny form as it pummeled into his chest.

"Aniki." Donnie muttered as he held on tight to his big brother, pressing his cheek against Leo's plastron. Leo shifted uncomfortably, but had no luck prying off the surprisingly strong hands from his shell. He stopped struggling as he felt the hands tremble slightly. "You woke up."

Leo's heart pained him at the words from the turtle. As if moving on their own volition, his arms came up to lift Donnie and tightly squeeze around the small turtle's waist, resting his chin on the smooth scalp in a comforting embrace. Leo closed his eyes, trying to calm the stirring confusion in his head. His emotions seemed to be at war with each other as his affection for the small Donnie and the longing for the return older Don clashed.

"Of course I did, Baka." Leo mumbled, finally feeling the child's grip loosen. He slowly moved to hold the little turtle away from him. Taking a closer look, Leo could see the slight puffiness under each of Donnie's chocolate eyes, and the whites were bloodshot. The older turtle let out a short huff, mentally reprimanding Raph and Mikey for letting Donnie see him when he was unconscious. He smiled weakly at the child, receiving a tired yet very happy grin in return. Leo stood Donnie up on the bed, not letting go until the turtle tot had his balance on the soft material. He rubbed his hand roughly on Donnie's scalp which made the child giggle playfully.

"So Donnie..." Leo started hesitantly, "Have... Have you had any weird dreams lately?" Leo watched apprehensively as Donnie thoughtfully squinted his eyes, darting them back and forth as if reading his own memory bank. The the little turtle shrugged.

"No, Aniki." Donnie replied, watching his older brother's shoulder's sag slightly at his comment. The tiny terrapin reached over and placed a small three fingered hand on Leo's plastron, "Aniki, you tired?"

"No, no." Leo quickly shook his head, straightening back up and giving another small smile. He didn't want to worry his young brother. When Donnie still looked unconvinced, Leo changed the subject, returning to his original purpose for entering the room. "Do you want to help me meditate?" he asked Donnie, who perked up immediately at the thought of being able to help his brother.

"Wassat?" The olive turtle asked, placing both hands on Leo's plastron now and bouncing on the cot slightly. Leo laughed and grabbed the tot, swinging him down to the floor. The blue masked turtle set the child, who was smiling widely, on the floor. Then Leo sat in front of him, crossing his legs in the lotus position. Donnie quizzically looked at his brother, his eyes shining in the dim light with curiosity, all sleepiness washed away with the sudden game he assumed they were about to play.

"Can you sit like this?" Leo asked, watching the tiny head bob with assurance. The older turtle looked on in amusement as Donnie plopped to the floor and carefully studied the position Leo's legs were in, pulling on his own limbs to get them into the correct position. After a few minutes of this and falling over several times, the tiny turtle managed to get into a surprisingly accurate form.

"Good job! That's perfect." Leo praised. Donnie looked up pridefully, giving a giant happy smile to his older brother. The blue clad turtle inwardly cringed as his heart tightened with the foreign emotion he had been having recently. Clearing his throat, Leo let his face go placid, and took a deep breath in through his nose and exhaling through his mouth in order to calm himself in preparation for meditation. Without having to tell him, Donnie copied his brother's actions, right down to the expressionless face. Leo rested the back of his hands on his knees and closed his eyes, as did Donnie.

"Alright Donatello." Leo said in monotone after a several minutes of breathing, "Try to feel the way you are breathing, how it feels to breath in and out." Leo waited patiently, watching his silent pupil do as instructed through one cracked open eye. He waited until he could tell Donnie was completely engrossed with breathing to move onto the next step, making sure to keep his voice even and monotone so as not to distract the young turtle, "Now feel your body as you breath, starting at your toes, up to your head, then let your mind go blank." After this, Leo only watched for a few more seconds to see the tiny turtle nod his head absently in obedience.

Slipping skillfully into his own trance, Leo let out a sigh and reached out to his brother's spirit. Not the young one who was physically next to him, but the one who was lost on the astral plane.

**Already, Leonardo could feel that the familiar presence of his brother's spirit was not completely within the younger form of Donatello, and that worried him to no end. It was as if only part of Donatello's spirit resided there, and someone else's spirit, someone who Leo was completely unfamiliar with, was filling the void Donatello's spirit had left. The part of Donatello's spirit in the young form of his brother seemed to be stretched out thin, trailing off to some unknown location, though Leo had a bad feeling he knew where the rest of it was.**

**Leonardo felt the unnervingly unfamiliar spirit of young Donnie slip into the astral plane 'beside' him. Leo refocused immediately, feeling the confusion in the young turtle and reaching out to him mentally.**

**_Donatello, focus._ He called out, it is important to calm yourself. _Make sure you keep your awareness of your body, you do not want to lose it._ There was a moment where Leo could feel Donnie's surprise, then the turtle did as he was told, focusing his spirit and body.**

**_Good job, now stay close and follow your spirit, it seems to be trailing off somewhere._ Leo calmly instructed mentally. He knew he would have a better chance of finding wherever the rest of Donatello's spirit was if Donnie helped him follow it. Even if the young turtle mostly had a foreign presence within him, part of him was still the original Donatello. This part of him would pull him to the rest of the spirit like a magnet to metal.**

_**Okay Aniki.**_

**Leo was surprised and impressed that Donnie could make such a clear connection with him so soon. It meant that Donnie's spirit was strong and clear, which also worried Leo a little. Shaking off the distracting emotions, Leo and Donnie followed the presence of Donatello's spirit. After several intense moments of incredible focus on Leo and his pupil's part, they were able to near the rest of Donnie's spirit.**

**Leonardo was completely baffled at what they found. It took all of his focus to keep his spirit from exploding all over the astral plane from the shock at finding his brother's remaining spirit. Along with Leatherhead's. But that was what Leo had been expecting to find. What he had not expected to find was his brother's spirit mixed into Leatherhead's, as if supporting the croc's spirit.**

**_Don!_ Leo reached out, successfully feeling his brother's spirit's attention turning to him, _I can find Leatherhead now, you can return to your body!_ Leo pushed Donnie's spirit closer and encouraged the rest of his brother's spirit to return. But the spirit stayed rooted in place, remaining within Leatherhead's.**

**_Please, Don!_ Leo begged, desperation forcing its way into him. He could not remain so far away from his body for too much longer, lest he be lost forever. When the spirit still did not respond, Leo panicked and began pulling on it, willing it to return to them. He shoved Donnie's spirit forward, trying to forcefully reunite the fragments of Donatello's spirit. As soon as they touched, Leo regretted his rash actions.**

**_A-ANIKI!_ A terrified mind called out to him before Leo was forcefully thrown from the astral plane.**

Leo flew backwards and smashed into Don's desk as if he had been kicked across the room. He yelled as he painfully returned to his body, scrambling to stand up and panting heavily. He grabbed onto the edge of the desk t steady himself, but slipped and sent a lamp crashing to the floor, wincing at the sound of glass smashing. Only seconds later the door to Donnie's room flew open, light from the hallway flooding in and brightly illuminating the places the small night light could not reach. Leo blocked his eyes from the harsh light, still heaving.

"Leo! What happened?" Raph's voice came as the eldest turtle's eyes adjusted to the bright light. He looked over at both of his brothers and his master standing in the doorway. He was about to explain himself when Mikey rushed in, not even sparing a glance at Leo. The orange masked turtle ran over to Donnie's side.

The child was still in the lotus position, his breathing calm and his body still.

"Leo..." Mikey trailed off, his voice riddled with worry. Leo could have sworn his heart stopped beating at that point. He had left Donnie. He left a child alone in the spirit realm without any clue as to how to return to his body.

"Shell!" Leo hissed, stepping forward and sitting down in a sloppy cross legged position in front of his brother's tiny form. He tried to calm himself, to focus and let go of his mind, but his emotions were stirring, and his Qi was all over the place. He could not return. Leo gulped, opening his eyes and staring at the small turtle before him, then looked over at his sensei. "Father..." Leo started, choking on his words. His heart sank, creating a sickening mass in the lit of his stomach as he realized that he might have just lost their brother for a second time.

Splinter just nodded calmly, coming over at sitting on his knees beside Leonardo. The rat laid his walking stick across his thighs and breathed in deeply, immediately going into a meditative state. The three turtle siblings watched on nervously as the seconds passed, each one feeling like an hour to them. Though Raph and Mikey did not know what was happening, they knew from the desperation in Leo's voice that whatever it was, it was not good.

Suddenly, Splinter's ears twitched, and he let out a long breath, opening his eyes slowly.

"It is alright Donatello, you are home." Splinter reassured the still, tiny immediately before him. Everyone watched as the child's eyes snapped open, and the small chest started heaving with labored breaths. Before anyone could reach out to comfort him, Donnie's mouth opened, and his lips quivered.

"Uh-" was the noise that came from the child before a long wail escaped him. Tears flooded down pudgy cheeks as Donnie cried, practically screaming as he did so. For a moment, this took the rest of the family aback. They were used to Donnie silently crying, sometimes so quietly no one would catch him doing so. This development certainly was uncommon. In the end, Mikey made the first move, leaning over and picking up the hysterical child and cradling him over his shoulder.

Leo missed the comforting words Mikey was telling Donnie, and the string of questions Raph angrily asked him. The blue clad turtle simply stood up, walked to the open door, and threw a blank glance at his master before he left for the confines of his room.


End file.
